Thirsty Aussies may soon be able to feel even better about chugging down a Victoria Bitter after brewer Carlton & United teamed with distribution company Linfox to put the country’s first all-electric Volvo into service.
The Volvo FL electric truck is described as the first of “many” all-electric trucks which Linfox plans to introduce as it works to reduce the carbon footprint of both its own operations and those of its clients.
Linfox delivers hundreds of millions of litres of beer annually for Asahi Beverages, which bought Carlton & United last year.
“Australia’s domestic freight task has doubled in the past decade and will continue to grow,” said Linfox executive chairman Peter Fox. “To meet this demand, Australia’s road fleet will also grow and it is essential the fleet does this safely, efficiently and with reduced environmental impact.”
Fox said the majority of his company’s carbon emissions come from transportation tasks and as the company continues to work towards achieving zero carbon emissions by 2030, more electric vehicles will join its fleet and the company will use rail transport more, where viable.
“Together with our customers, we continue our commitment to build sustainable and reliable supply chains for the future.”
The VB truck is the first mass-produced electric truck of its size in Australia and the first Volvo FL all-electric in Australia. It has a range between charges of around 250km.
Volvo Group Australia president and CEO Martin Merrick said the transport industry is transforming at a rapid rate, with electromobility rapidly gaining traction as a transport solution.
“Environmental care is a core value shared not only by Linfox and Volvo Trucks, but also by Asahi Beverages and we are proud of those shared values. We are committed to ensuring our vehicles will play their part in making our cities cleaner and more liveable,” said Merrick.
“This new truck represents the first step on that journey.”
The all-electric Volvo truck will be easy to spot on the streets of Melbourne with a distinctive sidewall bearing the VB colours and the message “The Big Green Beer delivered by an electric truck”.
It will deliver beer just like a regular Linfox diesel truck, but in a sustainable way, moving some 100,000+ cans and stubbies each week from Asahi Beverages’ distribution centre in Melbourne’s west to bottleshops across the city.
For Asahi Beverages the truck represents another significant step in its path towards sustainability.
The truck will be recharged entirely by 100-per-cent offset solar power drawn from Asahi Beverages’ solar farm near Mildura in northern Victoria. The beer it will carry has been brewed using 100-per-cent offset solar electricity since last year.
“Linfox has delivered VB for more than 50 years,” said Robert Iervasi, group CEO at Asahi Beverages. “It’s fitting these two Australian icons are taking this major step towards a sustainable future together.”
Iervasi said that transitioning the company’s deliveries to electric vehicles will help it achieve its goals of reducing its net carbon emissions across its entire supply chain by 30 per cent by 2030 and to zero by 2050.
Image: Linfox executive chairman Peter Fox and Robert Iervasi, Asahi Beverages group CEO with the Volvo all-electric delivery truck deployed by Linfox.
