San Francisco: Electric Car Enthusiasts Hear about PG&E’s VIA Motors Extended-Range Pickups | PG&E Currents

Dave Meisel, PG&E’s director of transportation services, said that the company has a huge stake in the success of electric vehicles – and that’s not just because PG&E sells electricity.

PG&E has 14,000 vehicles in its fleet. Of those, 3,500 are full-size pickups. And, each year, the company replaces 600 to 800 of those pickups with new ones. These are the best-selling vehicles in the United States and often get poor gas mileage.

Being able to use one of VIA Motors eRev (extended range electric vehicle) trucks could result in significant cost savings. Thanks to a 402-horsepower electric motor and lithium-ion batteries, the vehicles have an electric range of up to 40 miles. Then, the vehicles’ gasoline engine allows it to travel another 350 miles. (Click here to see a video about a VIA Motors event held at PG&E’s headquarters.)

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