Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup zaps pest control agency’s CO2 emissions by 78%

A leading pest control agency in Texas, SafeHaven, in collaboration with Merge Electric Fleet Solutions, announced Tuesday that its EV pilot program found that deploying a Ford F-150 Lightning reduced CO2 emissions by 78% compared to its current Ford pickup.

Ford Lightning reduces pest control agency’s emissions

SafeHaven Pest Control teamed up with Merge, a fleet electrification service and financing company, to run an electric vehicle pilot program to determine the best fit for zero-emissions cars in its fleet.

SafeHaven’s fleet covers one of the largest metro areas in the Dallas-Fort Worth territory, roughly the size of Connecticut. The company’s fleet consists of 58% compact cargo vans, 25% pickup trucks, and 17% full-size cargo vans, traveling 23,600 miles on average annually.

Spending 14 to 16 hours parked each night at drivers’ homes (92% of drivers owned a single-family house) made the trucks and vans a perfect option to go electric.

Using Merge’s telematics, SafeHaven found that replacing its current pickups with the Ford F-150 Lightning Extended Range model (320 miles EPA estimated range) would mean drivers would only need to use a public charging station around once per month while going with the Standard Range model (230 miles EPA estimated range) would result in using public charging around twice per month.

With Ford’s E-Transit cargo van (low roof) offering a range of 126 miles, drivers would need to charge at a public station once or twice a week.

Using the F-150 Lightning for the pilot program, SafeHaven was able to reduce CO2 emissions by 78% (9,528 lbs CO2e) compared to the company’s current 2013 F-150 pickup. If Safehaven’s entire fleet was electric, it could reduce GHG emissions by 56% (107 metric tons of CO2e) each year, the pilot program showed. Even when compared to a new gas-powered F-150, the Lightning electric pickup would save 72% in emissions.

Interestingly, the test found that over the course of the program, 18% of all the power used by the vehicle came from its regenerative braking system.

Michael Bosco, president of SafeHaven Pest Control, said adding the Ford Lightning helped the company provide “safe and efficient pest control services while also reducing our local emissions,” adding:

Merge’s pilot program made me confident in the benefits of adopting EVs into our fleet and scaling our electrification efforts.

SafeHaven also promotes green methods for controlling pests and has been an advocate for low-impact treatments for over two decades now.

Electrek’s Take

Many commercial businesses, like pest control agencies, can reduce their environmental footprint by incorporating EVs into their fleet, such as the F-150 Lightning pickup or E-Transit van.

There are now electric options on the market covering all segments. Whether you need a heavy-duty pickup or last-mile delivery van, there are zero-emissions alternatives available.

Pilot programs, such as the one SafeHaven Pest Control demonstrated, show implementing EVs into your fleet can improve business operations while reducing your environmental impact significantly.