Holcim US leads industry transition to net zero with electric vehicle fleet, low-emissions heavy machinery

Holcim US puts sustainability first as a green building materials leader and is accelerating this by transitioning its company cars to electric vehicles that use alternative energy and identifying opportunities to make its heavy machinery more environmentally friendly.

As part of their Accelerating Green Growth strategy, Holcim US began testing low-emissions vehicles in mid-2022. Working together with auto manufacturers, the North American procurement team’s goal is to replace 25% of the near 1,400 fleet vehicles with LEV by 2025.

Given a substantial share of indirect carbon emissions result from transportation between customer sites, factories, and distribution terminals, a significant impact can be realized when transitioning vehicles. In the initial electric vehicle (EV) pilot, more than 15,000 miles were driven by Holcim employees, consuming 4.3MWh of energy, which reduced CO₂ emissions by 12,000 pounds in less than three months of the project. Holcim US is working with Hyliion Holdings to leverage the company’s innovative electrified powertrain truck platform as another component to reduce vehicle emissions.

“Accelerating the shift to net-zero mobility, we’re the first in the industry to have this extensive of an electric vehicle fleet across our geographic footprint,” said Jay M. Moreau, CEO of US ACM. “Combining that transition with our heavy machinery efforts, we’re building on our promise of making greener cities through renewable energy, green mobility, and the development of next-generation technologies.”

Holcim isn’t stopping at simply converting road vehicles fleet to electric but continues to innovate by improving the environmental performance of heavy machinery, such as bulldozers and skid steers.

“Sustainability and environmental responsibility lead our operations across our footprint, and we work hard to meet these ambitions. It requires quite a bit of collaboration and creative thinking to execute a large-scale change like this,” said Atl Martinez, VP, North America Procurement. “Working through hurdles of such a large-scale effort is incredibly satisfying and makes significant progress to our overarching sustainability goals.”

Most of the EV tests use the Ford Mustang Mach E and the Volkswagen ID.4. Holcim also teamed up with Qmerit, to find local electricians to service charger installations, and ChargePoint, to provide home charging and fast charging on-the-go.

The transition of vehicles and heavy machinery is only part of Holcim’s work toward the transition to net zero. From offering low-carbon cements and concretes to innovative carbon capture research, the company continues to innovate and put sustainability first.