Supermarket Waitrose is set to trial new wireless electric vehicles in an effort to speed up time between deliveries while also cutting carbon emissions, reports Rachel Millard.
The company plans to stop using fossil fuels across its fleet by 2030, converting all its cars, vans and light trucks to battery electric models instead.
Charging can be time-consuming and logistically complex, so Waitrose is trialling vans fitted with a charging pad which can top up by parking above an electric plate.
The vans will initially be delivering groceries from the St Katherine’s Dock store, London, with more stores expected to be covered soon.
Michael Ayres, managing director of Flexible Power Systems, which is providing the technology, said:
Companies like Waitrose have to electrify their fleets to combat climate change.
At the same time, they have to fulfil customers’ needs as efficiently as possible, and the growth in home delivery seen during the pandemic is here to stay.
This project is about testing technologies that can save time and cost, particularly wireless charging.
