Non-food discount retailer Action took its first step towards the electrification of its retail logistics on Friday. At the distribution centre in Echt (Limburg), Action CEO Hajir Hajji officially commissioned the first two fully electric lorries. Later this month, a third electric lorry will begin operating from the Action distribution centre in Biblis, Germany.
The electric trucks (Volvo, type FM-Electric) are fully deployed daily in supplying surrounding shops. They are part of a pilot to gain experience and learn the impact on logistics and practical use. The drivers have received additional training from the supplier.
Distributed over several trips with interim recharging, an e-truck delivers up to 6 to 9 shops per day. The E-trucks have a 540 KWh battery and are expected to reach a range of over 200 km. This will be extensively tested in practice.
Solar panels on trailers
Besides the deployment of E-trucks, Action has also started a pilot with so-called SolarOnTop solar panels on three double-deck trailers. These save up to 4 tonnes of CO2 emissions per trailer compared to regular diesel-powered trucks.
As part of making transport more sustainable, Action already took several initiatives. In the Netherlands, a pilot was recently completed using HVO100 biodiesel, which enables up to 90% CO2 reduction. Partly based on the various pilots, Action expects to decide this year on further scaling up sustainable transport solutions.
From its distribution centre in Echt, 351 Action stores in the southern Netherlands, Belgium and Germany are supplied by 74 lorries. Action, which operates in 10 countries with 2,266 shops, has 12 distribution centres. Two of these are in the Netherlands, in Echt (Limburg) and in Zwaagdijk (North Holland).
