Hovis launches all-electric delivery vehicles

British bread firm Hovis, has introduced all-electric vehicles to its fleet for deliveries up and down the country.

The announcement was made today, as the organisation continues its objective to reduce both exhaust and noise pollution in urban areas across the UK.

Hovis will be one of the first FMCG businesses to deliver bread via an all-electric vehicle and is trialling two 7.5 tonne FUSO eCanter trucks for deliveries in London.

Manufactured by FUSO Trucks, the vehicles can travel up to 60 miles on a single trip, with the first delivery of vehicles taking place at Tesco’s Rainham store.

One of Hovis’ electric-powered delivery vehicles

Logistics

Hovis’ groups logistics team will work closely with FUSO/Mercedes over the two-year trial period, monitoring performance to determine how they support the company’s efforts to reduce ongoing carbon emissions.

“We are very proud to be the first company to introduce electric bread lorries, with the first delivery marking an important step in our efforts to cut our logistics carbon footprint,” said, Nish Kankiwala, CEO of Hovis. “The two eCanter vehicles will play an important role in sustainable fleet management and we are excited to see them in action.

“As part of our environmental strategy we have already installed more efficient route planning and are rolling out clearer labelling on our packaging to communicate that our bread bags are 100% recyclable. We will continue to explore other initiatives to reduce both our packaging and wider corporate carbon footprint for a greener future.”

‘Bold action’

London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, added: “In London we have taken bold action to help cut toxic vehicle emissions which are responsible for over 50 per cent of air pollution.

“With six months to go until the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London, electric vehicles are growing in popularity, and people are more aware than ever of the harmful pollution older vehicles, especially heavy goods lorries, can emit. It’s great to see Hovis helping protect Londoners’ health and the environment by trialling zero-emission delivery trucks.”