Polish retailer Żabka has added a zero-emission electric truck to its fleet from Volvo to deliver goods to stores in the Silesia region.
The truck features a refrigerated body to transport goods to stores and is designed to manoeuvre in densely built-up areas in cities.
The Volvo FL Electric is a two-axle truck with a maximum authorised gross weight of 16 tonnes. It has been modified to match the needs of the Żabka chain, with the retailer equipping the truck with a cooling tower.
The zero-emission electric drive can travel upto to 250 kilometres at a time, and is quieter and more environmentally friendly than a regular truck.
It can be used inside warehouse buildings and in the so-called green zones, and to carry out more transport operations at night, relieving traffic in the roads during the day.
Adam Manikowski, managing director of Żabka Polska, said, "In Żabka, we develop modern logistics based on the idea of smart and green cities. For the sake of the planet and the comfort of its inhabitants, we invest in green, zero-emission transport. The new fully electric truck from Volvo is an interesting alternative to a conventional logistics fleet.
"This is our next step to protect the environment and reduce the carbon footprint, which is extremely important in urban areas and in regions particularly exposed to air pollution - such as e.g. Silesia, where the vehicle will be tested in the coming months."
Environmentally Friendly Transport
The collaboration between Żabka and Volvo is another investment from the grocery chain in environmentally friendly transport.
Its network already uses zero-emission vehicles supplied by Volkswagen Vans, comprising four electric Transporter and two e-Crafter variants.
Żabka has also invested in its own charging stations for electric cars in logistic centres located in Nadarzyn and Plewiska.
Implementing measures to reduce the intensity of emissions in the value chain is one of the goals set out in the company's new Corporate Responsibility Strategy.
Żabka plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2025 in terms of direct emissions resulting from fuel combustion in logistics centres, related to the fleet and refrigerants, and in the field of indirect emissions resulting from electricity consumption by logistics centres and the company's headquarters (greenhouse gas emissions range 1 and 2 according to the GHG Protocol).
The company has also joined the Science Based Targets initiative, which promotes responsible and transparent setting of carbon footprint reduction targets based on scientific knowledge.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Supply Chain news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
