Woolworths trials electric vehicles for its online shopping deliveries
Woolworths has announced that it has started trialling electric panel vans into its online shopping delivery fleet. The company said in a social media post that the move is in line with its vision to be one of the most sustainable retailers in the world and that the test is being done in collaboration with DSV and Everlectric.
"To power the vans, we source electricity from renewable and sustainable sources including rooftop solar PV installations. Where onsite generation of renewable energy is not available or practical, we offset 100% of the electricity emissions via renewable energy certificates," the company said.
In the post, the retailer also claimed that it has saved nearly 3,600kgs of CO2 emissions in the last two months.
Online delivery has been offered as a service by Woolworths for several years and the retailer launched its same-day grocery delivery app Woolies Dash in December last year.
Retail corporation Walmart announced in September that it partnered with Ford and Argo AI to trial self-driving deliveries.
"We're excited to expand our autonomous delivery efforts in three new markets alongside Argo and Ford. This collaboration will further our mission to get products to the homes of our customers with unparalleled speed and ease, and in turn, will continue to pave the way for autonomous delivery," said Tom Ward, senior vice president of last-mile delivery for Walmart US.
Another business that is testing electric mobility as an option for its service is e-hailing company Bolt. It said in October that it will introduce electric vehicle taxis to the South African market.
Bolt also launched an electric-bike food delivery service in June this year. The initiative aims to boost income for drivers, reduce the service's impact on the environment, and change the way that fleet owners work with delivery platforms.
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