UK retailer Tesco has announced plans to launch fully electric heavy freight articulated trucks to transport goods from the Wentloog rail terminal outside Cardiff to its distribution centre in Magor, Wales.
The retailer will use two new 37 tonne DAF electric vehicles, in partnership with logistics and international freight forwarding company FSEW.
Heavy goods vehicles comprise around 16% of the UK’s domestic transport emissions and addressing this can play a significant role in delivering the UK’s net-zero ambitions, the retailer added.
Jason Watts, distribution centre manager at Tesco Distribution Centre in Magor, said, “We all want to do what we can for the environment, so we’re proud that Magor and Wales were chosen to be the first locations to use these zero-emission lorries.”
Clean Green Energy
The two lorries will replace around 65,000 diesel-fuelled road miles with clean green energy, removing 87.4 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
FSEW has installed charging points at its site in South Wales to provide enough energy to power these large vehicles for 100 miles before needing to charge again.
At around 30 miles each way, the Wentloog to Magor route is an ideal location to understand the potential and range of these lorries for use throughout the UK and elsewhere in Tesco’s fleet, the retailer added.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK and ROI CEO said, “Tesco’s distribution network is one of the largest in the UK and plays an important role in our efforts to become net zero in our own operations by 2035.
“We’ve already made progress by starting our switch to electric home delivery vans and rolling out electric vehicles charging points for our customers. I’m excited that Tesco can also lead the way in electric haulage innovation, helping to tackle this last source of road transport emissions with the support of FSEW.”
Encourage Investment
Tesco’s initiative will encourage further investment in technology and innovation to support the haulage sector’s efforts to reduce emissions and air pollution.
It will also contribute towards achieving net-zero emissions in its operations by 2035.
As part of the initiative, FSEW will replace more than 40 diesel vehicles with low-carbon alternatives and switch to fleet-wide zero-emissions transport operations by 2025.
Geoff Tomlinson, managing director of FSEW, said, “Together we are working to create a cleaner and greener logistics experience.
"This is transformational for the UK’s commercial and retail industries and is just the start of our work to supply electric heavy freight vehicles to customers such as Tesco."
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more Supply Chain news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
