Albert Heijn converts Rotterdam fleet to fully electric

The Dutch retail chain Albert Heijn is now also using exclusively electric vehicles in the centre of Rotterdam to deliver groceries to homes and to supply its shops. Last year, this step was already taken in The Hague.

Albert Heijn’s electric trucks used in the Rotterdam region depart from the distribution centre in Pijnacker, where the company says “the largest fast-charging station for electric trucks in the Netherlands” is located.

How many electric trucks the retail chain now uses and from which manufacturers they come is not specified. Albert Heijn does disclose that a large part of the electricity is generated by more than 10,000 solar panels on the roof of the distribution centre and that the 2,000 square metre fast-charging station has twelve columns, each of which can be charged with 350 kW.

The electrification offensive will initially focus on the city centre of Rotterdam. By the end of 2024, customers and shops throughout Rotterdam will also be supplied without emissions. Albert Heijn wants the cities of Utrecht and Amsterdam to follow in the second half of 2023. “Sustainability is a key pillar for us, and making transportation more environmentally friendly is crucial. By increasing the number of electric kilometers in our cities, we achieve quieter and cleaner transport, thereby reducing noise and local CO2 emissions,” expresses Constantijn Ninck Blok, Director of Logistics and Supply Chain at Albert Heijn.

In The Hague, delivery traffic is already purely electric. In the press release published for this occasion in 2022, Albert Heijn also only stated that it wanted to expand the number of electric trucks and electric delivery vans in the coming period – without naming specific vehicle models. However, a press photo published at the time showed the range of vehicles from electric light trucks to a Fiat Ducato with box body to larger distribution trucks from DAF and Mercedes-Benz. The latter was an eActros. The photo provided for Rotterdam shows an electric Volvo truck.

internationalsupermarketnews.com, nieuws.ah.nl (in Dutch)