BE: Colruyt Group adds six electric lorries to its delivery fleet
Belgium’s retail company, Colruyt Group, says it will put six electric lorries into service over the next few weeks. The trucks, procured from Volvo and Scania, will not only be used to supply stores.
Only one vehicle, a Volvo FM Electric, will be used for transporting goods between Colruyt Group’s distribution centres and stores in Belgium. The company has installed a new infrastructure with fast-charging stations at its Dassenveld depot to charge the lorry. The truck will be used for real-world testing.
In addition, Solucious, Colruyt Group’s online food wholesaler, will introduce five refrigerated electric trucks. Three Volvo FE Electrics and two Scania P230s will form the little fleet. The chilled lorries will supply hospitals, catering businesses, and companies in the centre of Brussels. These vehicles will be powered by green energy generated on-site by the company’s PV systems and wind turbines at the Laekebeek distribution centre.
The Volvo FM Electric is an electric 44-tonne truck, while the FE Electric is a 27-tonne vehicle designed for urban delivery. The Scania model is also primarily intended for inner-city logistics. Gradius supply the electrically operated cooling systems of the five refrigerated vehicles. However, these six electric lorries are only the beginning for Colruyt Group. The company aims to make all retail transport locally emissions-free by 2035, including its own store-to-store and supplier-to-distribution centre transport. The potential impact is significant as up to 700 drivers travel an average of 200,000 kilometres daily for Colruyt Group. The company plans to use battery and fuel cell lorries.
“Six months after the announcement of our ambition, our efforts are already visible on the road, which is something we’re very proud of,” said Frederik Muylaert, head of transport at Colruyt Group. “We will provide the necessary charging stations ourselves, but we hope that with these vehicles, we can also demonstrate the need for more public charging infrastructure. We firmly believe in an ecosystem with all our partners and the government, in which we can jointly create a zero-emission future.”
The roll-out aligns with Brussel’s ‘Low-emission urban logistics’ Green Deal that Colruyt Group signed in April. Elke Van den Brandt, Brussels Minister of Mobility, Public Works and Road Safety, said, “Low-emission logistics is a crucial lever in combating air pollution in cities”. She welcomed the Group’s initiative since companies “play a pioneering role in this, and that is great. By working together, we can really have an impact on air quality in and around the city.”
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