Fonterra, in partnership with Volvo Trucks New Zealand and EECA, has expanded its electric transport fleet, introducing a new electric refrigerated truck to deliver consumer products for across metropolitan areas of Auckland, New Zealand.
The first electric truck to be refrigerated in Fonterra’s fleet will focus on delivering dairy products from Takaanini, Auckland, to customers across metropolitan areas. This truck is the second electric truck in Fonterra’s metro distribution fleet for its Oceania business, meeting the operational needs of the business while also reducing emissions.
Rob Howell, Director of Operations and Supply Chain Oceania Fonterra, said the new electric truck represented an important step in Fonterra’s sustainability journey.
"Our objective is to be a leader in sustainability while prioritising our commitment to delivering healthy dairy nutrition to consumers around the motu (country).”
“We are working hard to reduce emissions across our supply chain. Working towards an electric fleet is another step in our journey partnering with Volvo Trucks New Zealand and EECA, providing access to the best technology to allow us to continue to make progress towards our climate ambitions," he said.
Scott Holt, General Manager for Volvo Trucks New Zealand agrees, “This electric truck marks an important juncture - the start of the real-world use and testing of this type of EV technology in a medium refrigerated truck application.”
“In order for New Zealand to transition to low carbon fleets, we need leaders like Fonterra to continue to have the courage to break new ground so that others feel they can also follow, with validation of performance and local support, all while achieving critical sustainability goals”.
The Volvo FE Electric Truck, equipped with a 256-kilowatt-hour battery pack, offers an estimated range of up to 200 kilometres on a single charge. Its refrigerated body provides 14 deck spaces, enabling transport for over 400 crates in a single delivery.
The e-truck, which will join Fonterra’s fleet at the Takaanini site, Auckland and will deliver more than 1.6 million litres of dairy nutrition over the next year. This is another step in delivering healthy nutrition sustainably.
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