Ecolab buying 1,000 Ford EVs in first step to all-electric fleet in North America

Ecolab has tapped Ford Motor Co. as a major partner to convert its 11,000-vehicle fleet in North America to all-electric.

The St. Paul-based maker of hygiene and water purification and sustainability products will start with 1,000 sales and service vehicles in California. It has contracted with Ford Pro, the commercial vehicle division of Ford, to make the conversion over the next 18 months. The companies did not divulge the cost.

Ecolab Chief Executive Christophe Beck said that while helping other companies with sustainability goals is part of what it sells, this partnership demonstrates its own commitment to sustainability.

“This project with FordPro is a really cool example of that approach because we provide our associates with the best technology,” said Beck. “And with that they deliver for our customers while we reduce our costs and achieve our sustainability objectives as well.”

The conversion in California will be a large-scale test for both Ford Pro and Ecolab as Ecolab converts its more than 11,000 sales and service fleet in North America to all-electric by 2030. It is part of Ecolab’s overall goal to reach net-zero emissions globally by 2050.

Ecolab already uses Ford vehicles in its North American fleet. In California, the company will use Ford Mustang Mach-E SUVs and F-150 Lightning trucks.

“Moving to electrification is not a simple decision,” said Ted Cannis, CEO of Ford Pro. “It’s a complex business — vehicles, software, charging, new use cases, new energy solutions. It’s a bit why we formed Ford Pro.”

Ford Pro also provides telematics to fleet operators that keep tabs on the maintenance schedules of its vehicles and driver performance and helps companies operating large fleets optimize performance of vehicles.

Some of Ecolab’s vehicles will be recharged in depots, but a lot of the vehicles will be charged at home, and Ford Pro will help to install charging ports at the residences of Ecolab employees.

Ecolab estimates that the move to electric vehicles will save approximately $1,400 in annual fuel costs on every model year 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro truck in the fleet.

Ford Motor and Xcel Energy in Minneapolis also announced a collaboration in December. Ford Pro will help Xcel built out a network of 30,000 electric vehicle charging ports throughout Xcel’s eight state service areas. Those charging stations are largely aimed at commercial fleets.