In a first for an Australian supermarket, Woolworths Group has announced its aim to make all its home delivery trucks 100 per cent electric-powered by 2030, which will see more than 1,000 EVs added to the nation’s roads.
Woolworths Group has started the transition by welcoming the first of 27 new EVs, which will begin delivering groceries to Woolworths’ Sydney customers over the next two months.
The home delivery fleet is currently made up of 1,200 trucks and growing. It is anticipated that the very last combustion engine vehicle will join the home delivery fleet by 2027, as they are to be gradually decommissioned and replaced with EVs.
Woolworths Group CEO, Brad Banducci said the company hoped to help make 'suburban streets quieter and cleaner', while setting an example for other businesses to support the growth of Australia’s EV industry.
“The case for a low carbon future has never been clearer and we’re backing a better tomorrow for our communities and the planet by starting the transition now. We’re proud to be putting 27 new EVs on the road in the coming weeks - in one of the many ways we're working to make grocery shopping greener.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific welcomed the launch, saying it was major progress towards renewable-powered cities.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Violette Snow said Woolworths was demonstrating how businesses can play a vital role in addressing the climate crisis.
“Diesel trucking is a major contributor to air pollution and is fuelling serious health issues in communities. Woolworths is leading the transition to 100 per cent wind and solar powered transport and marks a vital step in curbing climate pollution, benefitting both local communities and our planet.
“At a time of climate crisis, every business must now be a ‘climate business’. We must accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels and rapidly transition to clean, renewable energy sources. This announcement sends a strong signal to Australia’s major retailers including Coles and Aldi: it’s time to electrify your fleet,” said Snow.
Coles recently addressed the last-mile end of its cold chain with a trial fleet of delivery vans with solar-powered and battery operated fridges to deliver Coles Online orders in parts of Victoria and Queensland. The vans are calculated to reduce fuel usage by an average of three houses each day per vehicle.
This followed a trial with its transport partner Linfox Logistics of an electric-powered truck to deliver stock to New South Wales stores.
The Fuso eCanter truck, powered entirely by 100 per cent renewable electricity, delivers groceries from Coles’ Eastern Creek Distribution Centre in Sydney’s west to a number of Coles and Coles Local supermarkets in New South Wales.
All 27 of Woolworths home delivery EVs will be based in Sydney, delivering groceries to customers across the CBD, Inner West, Sutherland Shire, St George region and Eastern Suburbs.
At present, public EV infrastructure to support commercial fleets remains limited. The trucks will operate out of Woolworths’ Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFC) in Mascot and Caringbah, which are dedicated to picking and packing the supermarket’s online orders. The CFCs have installed new EV charging infrastructure in preparation.
Woolworths Group’s new EVs consist of two models manufactured by Foton Motor and SAIC Motor, which both offer sufficient working range to complete daily metro home deliveries before returning to base to charge overnight. They are fitted with a new electric refrigeration system that runs off the vehicle’s battery, ensuring groceries stay cold.
Woolworths will continue to increase its use of electric and low emissions freight vehicles across its Primary Connect supply chain logistics business. The business is currently operating three electric heavy rigid vehicles, as it trials emerging technology to help decarbonise its fleet in the long-term. At present, the technology and infrastructure to support the load intensity and distances of long-haul freight is still in its infancy.
Woolworths Group also hopes to contribute to public infrastructure planning to ensure the right charging technology and locations are considered to meet the needs of electric metro fleets, as well as low emissions long-haul freighter trucks which will require accessible recharging points across regional Australia.
Through the business’ ongoing decarbonisation initiatives, by 2030 Woolworths Group intends to have reduced its overall operational transport emissions by around 60 per cent compared to today, and to have decommissioned more than 3,000 internal combustion engine vehicles from its company-wide fleet.
