The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has partnered with Renault Trucks and contract hire company, Vertellus, to offer members - both wholesalers and suppliers - the opportunity to rent a fully electric Renault Trucks E-Tech D 18-tonne HGV (rigid, curtainsider or refrigerated) for 12 months, at the near equivalent cost of renting a diesel HGV.
The partnership comes as part of the SWA’s ongoing work to help the wholesale industry transition to net zero by 2040.
As an added incentive, Vertellus is also supplying the required charger, but members can claim back £3,000 – that’s £1,000 each month for the first three months.
Five vehicles have been made available to the SWA by Renault Trucks as part of Vertellus’ EV Discovery Programme, and interested members must have ordered their vehicle and take delivery by late November, or potentially early December, said the SWA.
Carlos Rodrigues managing director ofRenault Trucks UK & Ireland said: “The time to drive the transition to greener freight transport is now, and the SWA is perfectly positioned to lead this change across Scotland.”
During the past two years, the SWA has conducted trials using a Volvo electric truck to glean insights into key aspects of the technology including cost, charging infrastructure, and performance. The trial’s outcomes were used in case studies designed to inform members how to transition their fleets to electric vehicles.
This initial test formed part of the SWA’s wider mission to facilitate the decarbonisation of transport fleets in Scotland’s food and drink supply chain and contribute to Transport Scotland’s Zero Emission Truck Taskforce.
Ylva Haglund SWA head of sustainability said: “Our own report, ‘Decarbonising the Scottish Wholesale Sector’, explores our sector’s carbon emissions and attitudes to climate action, and shows that the majority of operational emissions for Scottish wholesalers are from vehicle fleets – in fact, HGV fuel use makes up an estimated 63.7% of operational carbon emissions in the Scottish wholesale sector.
“Our report further shows that there are differences in emissions for different sizes of wholesalers, with vehicle emissions accounting for a higher proportion of emissions from SMEs.”
She emphasised that there is much work still to be done and while it is crucial that the SWA address logistics emissions to reach net zero, there must be investment in infrastructure, along with more help and advice for businesses.
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