Coke Canada Bottling to pilot electric trucks

Coca-Cola Canada Bottling is acquiring six Volvo VNR electric trucks, as part of a pilot program to service their iconic ‘Red Fleet’ customer delivery routes throughout the Greater Montreal Area.

The six trucks are the first Class 8 battery-electric trucks in the beverage distributor’s fleet of 650 heavy-duty vehicles to service customers throughout the region.

Coke Canada Bottling is also one of the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturers to use zero-tailpipe emission trucks. All six Volvo VNR Electric trucks will be delivered throughout 2023.

As part of Coke Canada Bottling’s Toward a Better Future Together environmental sustainability action plan, the 6×4 Volvo VNR electric trucks will contribute to the company’s goal of reducing carbon emissions from direct sources and supplied energy by 46.2 per cent by 2030.

Coke Canada Bottling currently has several light-duty electric service vehicles in the Greater Montreal Area and uses B20 biofuels on all trucks newer than 2012. To date, these initiatives have led to a savings of more than 1500 tonnes of C0₂.

“Coke Canada Bottling is making tremendous strides towards their environmental sustainability goals by adding Volvo VNR electric trucks to their fleet to service their beverage customers in the Greater Montreal region,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America.

The battery-electric fleet features a six-battery configuration that can cover up to 440 km on a single charge, as the trucks make several daily round trips of 150 km from the company’s distribution centre in Montreal to customer locations.

“The electrification of our fleet is a key component of our plan to reduce direct carbon emissions. We know we continue to have work to do and look forward to working together with Volvo Trucks on opportunities to expand this pilot in years to come where it makes sense. We recognize we have a responsibility to effectively manage our environmental impact and we are working to decrease the emissions from our fleet,” said Todd Parsons, CEO at Coca-Cola Canada Bottling.

To support charging its battery-electric fleet, Coke Canada Bottling is also installing three 150 kW DC chargers with nine dispensers at its Montreal distribution centre. The charging infrastructure is anticipated to be complete in June 2023.