Tesco Ireland begins trial to electrify its home delivery van fleet

From November, many hundreds of households across Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, will have their shopping delivered by a brand new all-electric Tesco delivery vehicle as it is trialled in the area. This is part of Tesco’s efforts to become net zero in its own operations by 2035 and will see Dún Laoghaire become the first town in Ireland to include a Tesco electric delivery vehicle.

This new van will join the existing store fleet at Bloomfields which services 650 kilometres of deliveries in and around the Dún Laoghaire area every week. The van, when fully charged, offers a range of 160 kilometres, and will take on average 3 – 4 hours to charge. It will be powered by 100% renewable energy from a dedicated charging station at its base at Bloomfields Shopping Centre.

Minister Ossian Smyth with responsibility for Public Procurement, eGovernment and Circular Economy, “I’m delighted to support the launch in Tesco Dun Laoghaire of the trial of a new electric vehicle for home deliveries. This van is larger than your average electric vehicle, and will be able to deliver groceries, including frozen and refrigerated goods, all from batteries powered by renewable energy. I commend Tesco for introducing this pilot here in my constituency of Dun Laoghaire, I wish the pilot every success.”

Geoff Byrne, chief operating officer, Tesco Ireland, “In this critical time for climate action, we have a responsibility to drive change. We all have to play our part to take immediate actions to shape our future.

“Currently, we use sophisticated route planning and driving management systems for Grocery Home Shopping which help schedule smarter routes for our vans, resulting in less miles travelled and fewer carbon emissions. Through these systems, our fleet is predicted to achieve a reduction of 430 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Adding an Electric Vehicle into this mix is a further step in the right direction and should see a further 13 tonnes of C02 removed in the next 12 months.

“We’ve proudly based ourselves in Dún Laoghaire for 25 years, so I’m delighted that customers in this area will be the first in Ireland to trial this innonation in our home delivery fleet.”

Tesco continues to source 100% renewable energy to power its network of stores, offices and distribution centre. It also produces energy from a wind turbine at its Distribution Centre at Donabate – which generates 1.5million KWh per year, of which 10% goes back to the national grid.

Tesco Ireland provides customer vehicle charging stations at almost 50 of its stores nationwide, in partnership with ESB.