Volvo Trucks North America made an announcement on April 13, 2023 that Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited (Coke Canada Bottling) will be purchasing six Volvo VNR Electric trucks. This is part of a trial program that aims to cater to their popular ‘Red Fleet’ customer delivery routes in the Greater Montreal Area. The six trucks will be the first Class 8 battery-electric trucks in the beverage distributor's fleet, which comprises 650 heavy-duty vehicles that service customers in the region. Coca-Cola Canada Bottling is the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to use emission-free trucks. All six Volvo VNR Electric trucks are set to be delivered to Coca-Cola Canada in 2023.
In line with Coke Canada Bottling's "Toward a Better Future Together" sustainability initiative, the acquisition of six 6x4 Volvo VNR Electric trucks is expected to contribute to the company's target of reducing carbon emissions from direct sources and supplied energy by 46.2 percent by 2030 according to Volvo. Currently, the company has deployed several light-duty electric service vehicles in the greater Montreal area and uses B20 biofuels for all trucks manufactured after 2012. As a result, the company reports that these efforts have already led to a reduction of over 1500 tonnes of Co2.
To preview their product’s capabilities, Volvo Trucks hosted a demo day on April 13 at Coke Canada Bottling’s Montreal distribution center for delivery drivers to test drive the new battery-electric trucks. Volvo also assisted participants in learning ways to optimize the Volvo VNR Electric’s range, such as leveraging regenerative braking benefits to add power back to the battery.
“Our ‘Red Fleet’ is iconic on the roads of our country and, as we strive to become the leading beverage partner in Canada, we’re extremely proud to partner with Volvo Trucks to be the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to use battery-electric trucks, the electrification of our fleet is a key component of our plan to reduce direct carbon emissions. We know we continue to have work to do and look forward to working together with Volvo Trucks on opportunities to expand this pilot in years to come where it makes sense. We recognize we have a responsibility to effectively manage our environmental impact and we are working to decrease the emissions from our fleet.”
To support charging its new battery-electric fleet, Coke Canada Bottling is also installing three 150 kW DC chargers with nine dispensers at its Montreal distribution center. The charging infrastructure is anticipated to be complete in June 2023.
Will companies in the Philippines make the move to transition to EV trucks in the near future? Only time will tell.
