Supermarkets across the US typically use gas-guzzling semi-trucks to stock their grocery supplies. Last week, however, when a heavy truck pulled into an Albertson’s supermarket in Irving, California, there was no diesel exhaust coming out of its tailpipe.
The zero-emissions food delivery was part of a series of tests performed by the grocery chain which partnered with Volvo to test the carmaker’s electric trucks in Southern California.
The 150-mile-range trucks will make local deliveries and then return to a distribution center for charging. “The range can suit that local delivery,” said Brett Pope, director of electric vehicles at Volvo Trucks North America. Last week’s delivery was the first to use an electric Class 8 truck (which weighs over 33,000 lb) for grocery delivery in the US.
As reported by Fast Company, the tests are part of a public-private partnership called LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) funded by California’s cap-and-trade program, which aims to shift heavy-duty trucks towards electricity.
In addition to Volvo, which is helping build more electric chargers for semis in the region, the local electric utility is also part of the program so it adjusts its electricity supply when the cars will need it for charging. Local colleges, which are training technicians to make repairs, are also part of the three-year program.
Image source: Volvo Trucks
