Supermarket Tesco has debuted a new zero emission electric lorry to make deliveries from its distribution centres to stores in city centres. Quadrant Transport explores how this could see 30,000 diesel-fuelled road miles with clean energy each year.
Made by Renault Trucks, Tesco has said that the electrically powered lorry, known as the D Wide E-Tech model, is the first of its kind.
It is now delivering to more than 400 stores in Greater London, with further electric lorries set to enter service in the coming months.
Tesco has revealed that the lorry has a range of up to 130 miles and it is able to carry the same payload as the diesel truck it replaces.
EVs Are Going To Play An Important Role In Delivering Goods
EVs are going to play an important role when it comes to making the transport industry more sustainable and will help towns and cities plan low emission zones in a bid to tackle poor air quality.
Each electric lorry is expected to replace around 30,000 miles per year of diesel-fuelled road miles with clean green energy, removing 23 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. To power the new trucks, Tesco has installed dedicated electric charge points at its Dagenham distribution centre.
Managing Director at Renault Trucks UK and Ireland, Carlos Rodrigues, said: “We are delighted that Tesco has chosen to partner with Renault Trucks on its journey to net zero and selected the E-Tech D-Wide for its first fully electric model to move refrigerated goods more quietly and with zero emissions across the Greater London area,”
Tesco Aims To Achieve Net Zero By 2035
Adding electric delivery lorries to its fleet will contribute to the company’s effort to achieve net zero emissions in its own operations by 2035, Tesco has said.
Chief Executive at Tesco, Jason Tarry, said: “We all want to see improved air quality and less pollution in our towns and cities, and electric vehicles will play a crucial role in achieving this.
“The Tesco distribution network is one of the largest in the UK and provides us with a great opportunity to roll out new technologies like this industry-leading E Tech electric truck from Renault Trucks.”
Together with our switch to electric home delivery vans and rolling out electric vehicle charging points for our customers, we’re really excited about the improvements we’re making across our business, and our transition to electric vehicles.
In January this year, Tesco became the first UK retailer to add electric heavy freight articulated trucks to its fleet. These are now being used to transport products emissions-free between Cardiff rail terminal and its distribution centre in Magor.
In addition to this, Tesco has revealed it is working with Volta Trucks on a prototype full-electric lorry.