Video: EV delivers catch of the day

An all-electric chilled van is on the road in Auckland delivering fresh fish in what’s hailed as a New Zealand first.

The LDV EV80 chiller van, owned by New Zealand fishing company Sanford, is carrying up to a tonne of seafood between the Ports of Auckland and destinations around the city.

It’s a first here because both the engine and chiller are fully electric and independently powered.

The van in Kiwi seafood company Sanford and Sons livery runs on a lithium phosphate battery and has about 150km range, able to be fast charged in two hours.

The eutectic technology involved allows for cold plates in the van to be filled with phase changing material (PCM) which is solidified and stores thermal energy, keep the van interior temperature at between zero and four degrees Celsius for the time deliveries are being made.

Sanford chief executive Volker Kuntzsch says it’s always exciting to be on the cutting edge of sustainable technology.

“Being able to deliver fresh, chilled seafood daily to our customers is an absolute necessity and we’re delighted we’ve been able to find a solution which is zero emissions, which fits with our focus as a company taking a sustainable approach to everything we do.”

Sanford’s supply chain general manager Louise Wood says the company is grateful to the Government’s low emission vehicles contestable fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), for its support.

“The EECA funding is great because it encourages innovation and investment to promote, enable and accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles,” she says.

“That’s made a big difference to us and has given us the encouragement to try something new.
“We’re very pleased to have partnered with LDV who supplied the EV80 as well as PlugnChill for the eutectic refrigeration and Auckland Auto Air who have customised the vehicle to include the fitting of the refrigeration and the insulation.”

Sanford received $40,000 towards the project, the successful fund applicants announced in January 2019.
Sanford also installed an EV charger at the Auckland Fish Market where it runs the popular fishmonger which is publicly available at limited hours.

Sanford has several fishing vessels which land fresh fish into Auckland most days, quickly delivered to a variety of customers around the Auckland area with the EV van allowing the lowest possible carbon footprint.

Temperature in the van can be monitored remotely to ensure perfect conditions. The chilled EV van is in keeping with Sanford’s sustainability focus.
The company has been listed on the New Zealand stock market since 1924 and has sites in 11 locations around the country.

Sanford has 1600 staff and sharefishers throughout New Zealand, also having a scientific team finding new ways to make the most of seafood’s life-enhancing properties from anti-inflammatory supplements to skin-nurturing collagen.