Coles has unveiled the first electric truck in its fleet in a bid to pivot to greener practices, four years after competitor Woolworths.
Coles has unveiled the first electric truck in its fleet, in a bid to pivot to greener practices.
The supermarket giant says that the truck will avoid more than 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, as compared to an equivalently sized diesel truck.
The trial is being undertaken with logistics company Linfox.
Coles’ head of transport safety and sustainability David Clark said this could pave the way for a lower-emissions fleet.
“Coles’ first electric truck is a big step to introducing alternative fuel technologies to our supply chain, and we are excited about the opportunity to see more electric vehicles delivering groceries to our distribution centres and supermarkets in the future,” he said.
“By working with Linfox, we have considered the sustainability of the truck, from its carbon footprint when operating, to the end-of-life impacts on the environment.”
Peer competitor announced its first electric distribution truck four years ago, and has since added two more to its fleet.
Linfox executive chairperson Peter Fox, scion of company founder Lindsay Fox, hailed the trial as a meaningful step.
“Working in partnership with a trusted Australian retailer such as Coles, that connects customers with products from thousands of farmers and suppliers, is where the switch to electric vehicles can make the biggest difference.”
Coles has previously committed to be powered only by renewable electricity by June 2025 – in three years’ time – and to have net zero emissions by 2050.
Woolworths has one-upped Coles, promising to deliver net positive carbon emissions by 2050 and also to be powered only by renewable electricity by 2025.
This comes amid simmering disagreement inside the Coalition regarding climate change and emissions reduction, as MPs have been made to firm up their incongruous positions during the federal election campaign.
Despite Australia having pledged to a target of net zero emissions by 2050, Nationals senator Matt Canavan said two days ago that “the net zero thing is all sort of dead anyway,” in an interview with the ABC.
The issue is driving a wedge through the Coalition between more cosmopolitan members – such as Katie Allen of Melbourne’s Higgins electorate or Dave Sharma in Sydney’s Wentworth – and MPs who pitch themselves more to rural voters such as Senator Canavan.
Extracted from News.com.au
