Woolworths opens 15-bay charging hub as electric delivery fleet scales up
Woolworths NZ opens a 15-bay fast-charging hub at its Penrose eStore as its electric delivery fleet grows from three trucks to 27, targeting a fully electric last-mile fleet.
Woolworths New Zealand has opened a 15-bay fast-charging hub at its Penrose eStore in Auckland, purpose-built to support one of the country’s fastest-growing electric truck fleets.
The supermarket’s battery electric home delivery fleet is scaling quickly, from three trucks last November to 27 by the end of this month, and the new hub gives them a dedicated depot charging base.
Managing director Sally Copland says the investment is part of the company’s commitment to decarbonising its transport operations. “By decarbonising our transport operations, we are bringing whisper-quiet, zero-emissions deliveries straight to our customers’ doors. We are undisputedly leading last-mile home delivery decarbonisation right where our customers live.”
The numbers back the claim. The electric fleet is expected to have covered almost 800,000km by the end of August, the equivalent of around 190 return trips between Cape Reinga and Bluff, and is on track to pass one million kilometres by December.
The latest generation of delivery trucks carries advanced driver assistance systems, 360-degree cameras and air brakes, aimed at improving safety for drivers and the neighbourhoods they deliver into.
This is not Woolworths’ first attempt at electric deliveries. “Our original EV journey began with a pioneering fleet in 2019,” says Copland. “While the vehicles in that fleet have long since been retired, over seven years of real-world testing has given us the data necessary to safely scale our fleet today alongside our expert technology and logistics partners.”
She adds that the New Zealand operation is leading the way within Woolworths Group across both sides of the Tasman.
The end goal is a fully electric last-mile delivery fleet, with 57 next-generation electric trucks expected to be operating nationwide by the end of June next year. The Penrose hub is built for that transition: all 42 home delivery trucks based at the site are expected to be electric by next year.
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