Bidfood e-truck at EV Gala Day

Full food service wholesaler Bidfood will have one of its Fuso eCanter electric trucks at the EV Gala Day on Waiheke Island, February 26.

Bidfood national fleet manager Tony Hutcheson says he read about the gala in EVs and Beyond and will be handing out Streets ice creams at the event.

Its Fuso eCanter trucks are involved in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority-funded trials in Auckland and Christchurch.

The fully electric eCanter has a multi temperature (frozen and chilled) refrigerated body, and is included in the Auckland zero emission area (ZEA) project.

Hutcheson says the one-year trial involves five companies delivering goods into the proposed Auckland Transport Queen Street Valley Zero Emissions Area using the Fuso eCanter.

Zero emission zones/areas are a common transport and policy tool implemented in many cities around the world.

They are used to promote walking, cycling, public transport and electric vehicles by restricting the vehicle types that can operate within a designated area.

As part of the Auckland City Centre Masterplan, New Zealand’s first ZEA is proposed for the Queen Street Valley in central Auckland and will also be a pedestrian-priority area.

The city centre will also have a series of through-traffic restricted low-traffic neighbourhoods.

“Our hope is to obtain data and learnings to inform policy development and expansion of the zero emissions fleet,” says Hutcheson.

“We expect to learn more from any challenges we encounter during these projects than from any smooth running of the electric trucks.

“Specifically, it’s about how the electrification of the delivery fleet will impact our operation as a whole, not just how many kilometres we can drive in the vehicle.

“There will be a big focus on charging, both at our depots and while out on a delivery run.

“This is an area that we are learning a lot about.”

Hutcheson says the eCanters are Bidfood’s first two zero emission trucks and the company is very excited to have started its commercial transport emissions reduction journey.

While Bidfood delivers to Waiheke Island customers six days a week in summer with two trucks and five days in winter, Hutcheson says that unfortunately it doesn’t use the eCanter there as the truck is too small for the job.

“I’d love to have a larger zero emissions truck for the job, perhaps one day.”

Hutcheson says he will be at the EV Gala Day as he happens to be in Auckland that weekend and hasn’t been to Waiheke in almost 20 years.