Woolworths trials electric vehicles for online deliveries in SA

Retail 15 November 2021

Woolworths South Africa announced that it has launched a new vehicle trial which are electric panel vans for its online delivery service in South Africa.

In a post published on Twitter, the retail group said it was running the trial in collaboration with renewable vehicle company Everlectric and logistics company DSV. The retailer added that this trial would be the first of its kind in the South African retail space.

“To power the vans, we source electricity from renewable and sustainable sources, including rooftop solar PV installations. Where an onsite generation of renewable energy is not directly available or practical, we offset 100% of the electricity emissions via renewable energy certificates,” it said.

Woolworths has offered an online delivery service for several years but launched its same-day delivery service – Woolies Dash – in December 2020.

The company Everlectric states that the engine of its vans is substituted by an electric system that powers it. They offer a wide range of benefits; besides being better for the environment, they are also more cost-effective as they eliminate fuel costs.

According to Everlectric’s website, its “geographically distributed charging network solves fleet operators’ range anxiety and charging needs making sure fleet operators don’t need to spend any CAPEX on charging infrastructure and gives them access to charging points across all operational areas.”

Written by: Shihaam (Gabriella) Steyn.

Guzzle Media