Press Release
04.22.2021

TK Elevator incorporates first electric vehicle into the field as it moves forward with its fleet electrification initiative

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• The Los Angeles-based vehicle, a Chevy Bolt, is being driven by TK Elevator service technician Craig Johnson.
• More pilots are planned for 2021 as TK Elevator begins transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles.
• The move to EVs is a key part of TK Elevator’s aggressive carbon reduction plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2040.

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Los Angeles (April 22, 2021) – TK Elevator celebrated Earth Day today by officially unveiling the first electric vehicle (EV) being used in the field in North America. The organization’s first electric service vehicle – a Chevy Bolt – is being driven by Huntington Beach, Calif. native, Craig Johnson, which he uses to support his customers in the Los Angeles area.

“Whenever someone asks me why I’m driving an electric vehicle, I always respond, ‘why isn’t everyone driving an electric vehicle?’ I’m proud to be the first of many technicians who will be driving an electric service vehicle in the field,” says Johnson, a long-time employee of TK Elevator. “One of the things I appreciate most about working for TK Elevator is the commitment to making a positive difference in the communities we work and live in.”

Last year, TK Elevator joined the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA) led by Ceres, a sustainability non-profit organization. CEVA helps companies accelerate their transitions to electric vehicles (EVs) and TK Elevator’s inclusion in CEVA reaffirmed its commitment to transition its North American fleet to battery or plug-in hybrid EVs.

The transition to EVs is part of TK Elevator’s plan to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2040, with two-thirds of those carbon reductions coming from its fleet. In the U.S., TK Elevator’s fleet accounts for approximately 55 percent of the fuel gallons used.

“On Earth Day and every day, we demonstrate our commitment to sustainability. We recognize that as the industry leader we have a responsibility to make the world a safer, healthier place, and our transition to electric vehicles is yet another example of that commitment,” says Kevin Lavallee, President and CEO of TK Elevator North America.

In the last year alone, TK Elevator has achieved numerous sustainability milestones. Most notably in December 2020, TK Elevator received an ‘A’ rating from global environmental non-profit CDP for its climate-change efforts. The ‘A’ rating reflects TK Elevator’s aggressive carbon emissions targets of reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2030 and by 50% by 2040. In October 2020, TK Elevator published an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in the U.S. for its evolution low- to mid-rise elevators in accordance with ISO 14025. An EPD is an assessment of the environmental impacts of a product over its life cycle that is verified by an independent third-party. It was the fourth EPD TK Elevator had published for the U.S. market.

In June 2020, the Middleton manufacturing facility was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program with a 2020 Better Project Award for reducing natural gas consumption on its structural paint line oven by 35 percent. The initiative also resulted in a startup time decrease and more than $31,000 in annual energy savings.

“We’re excited to move beyond petroleum power for our fleet and begin the transition to electric vehicles,” says Monica Miller Brown, Senior Sustainability Manager at TK Elevator North America. “Through our alliance with CEVA, we are pushing the vehicle industry forward into more efficient vehicles. We’re pleased to now be implementing those innovations into our own operations as well.”

To learn more about TK Elevator’s sustainability efforts in North America, go to https://www.tkelevator.com/us-en/company/sustainability/overview/.

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