Tesco Puts First Electric HGVs Into Operation

Supermarket Tesco has announced that it is to launch fully electric heavy freight articulated lorries in partnership with international freight forwarding firm FSEW. Two new 37 tonne DAF electric vehicles will go into operation.

Logistics Manager magazine reports that the new electric HGVs will be transporting food and other products from the Wentloog rail terminal just outside Cardiff to Tesco’s distribution centre in Magor, also in Wales.

To charge the electric vehicles, FSEW has installed charging points at its site in South Wales, which provide enough energy to power the HGVs for 100 miles before needing to recharge.

The 30-mile stretch between Wentloog and Magor provides a great opportunity for the companies to explore the potential and range of the vehicles for future use across the UK and elsewhere in Tesco’s fleet.

Tesco and FSEW said that by demonstrating the commercial viability of electric HGVs, the companies’ efforts will contribute to wider investment in technology and innovation.

This should support the haulage sector’s efforts to reduce emissions and air pollution which are disproportionately high. While HGVs make up just five per cent of vehicle miles in the UK, their contribution to emissions is around 16 per cent.

This first use of fully-electric heavy-duty trucks should also contribute to Tesco’s efforts to achieve net-zero emissions in its own operations by 2035.

At the same time, FSEW is working to replace more than 40 diesel vehicles with low-carbon alternatives and switch to fleet-wide zero-emissions transport operations already by 2025.

In July 2021, Tesco was one of seven UK companies to pledge to electrify their fleets by the end of the decade, and the supermarket has gone to considerable efforts to improve charging point availability at stores for its customers.

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