Heineken uses electric beer truck for last-mile delivery in Amsterdam

The Dutch brewery Heineken is now using an all-electric beer truck in Amsterdam. The converted Fuso eCanter will be used for emission-free deliveries to cafés in Amsterdam’s city centre.

According to Heineken, the vehicle is even the “world’s first electrically powered mini tank beer truck”. The designation as a “tank beer truck” seems important here, because the converted eCanter actually has a large beer tank mounted on the back, thus it is not an electric distribution truck delivering kegs and bottled beer.

Upon inquiry, the brewery added some details about the vehicle: the truck is 5.3 metres long and two metres wide, which makes it suitable for urban use. Empty, the vehicle weighs four tonnes. Two charging specifications are important for the beer transporter: The beer tank, manufactured by Duotank, can hold up to 3,000 litres, and the battery has a capacity of 82.8 kWh.

The eCanter is charged exclusively with green electricity – for this Heineken has entered into a cooperation with Fastned. The battery is supposed to be charged in about one hour at a DC station. Abrex, TVE Reclameproducties and Veldhuizen are also involved in the cooperation.

“Heineken has a strong green ambition and we look at the entire chain. Of course, this also applies to clean transport,” says managing director Hans Böhm. “I am pleased that we can now transport tank beer sustainably,” says Managing Director Hans Böhm. This applies not only to exhaust emissions and soot particles, but also noise emissions, he adds.

However, Heineken still sees challenges in the entire transport chain – for example in the logistics of the vehicles. From the brewery in Den Bosch, a larger truck transports 200 hectolitres of beer (i.e. 20,000 litres) to the outskirts of Amsterdam. There, 30 hectolitres each are pumped into the two mini-tank beer trucks. These then supply around five cafés in the city centre before they have to refill with fresh beer on the outskirts again. Supplying the cafés with the large truck would not be possible even with an electric drive: to protect the quays and bridges, a maximum of 7.5 tonnes is allowed here.

Heineken has also involved the city of Amsterdam in the planning – such as the permitted times for the more frequent trips. “Supply is crucial for the city, but to keep Amsterdam liveable and accessible, trucks need to become cleaner, lighter, safer and smarter,” says city councillor Egbert de Vries. “The introduction of the electric tanker beer truck shows how companies can make an important contribution to a liveable city.”

heinekennederland.nl (in Dutch)