Volvo Trucks North America announced that Coke Canada Bottling is acquiring six Volvo VNR Electric trucks as part of a pilot program to service its ‘Red Fleet’ customer delivery routes throughout the Greater Montreal Area.

They are the first Class 8 battery-electric trucks in the beverage distributor’s fleet of 650 heavy-duty vehicles to service customers throughout the region. Coke Canada Bottling says it’s the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to use zero-tailpipe emission trucks, and the vehicles will be deployed throughout 2023. 

The trucks will contribute to Coke Canada Bottling’s goal of reducing carbon emissions from direct sources and supplied energy by 46.2% by 2030, the company claims. Coke Canada Bottling has several light-duty electric service vehicles in the Greater Montreal Area and uses B20 biofuels on all trucks newer than 2012. To date, the fleet says these initiatives have led to a savings of more than 1,500 tonnes of C0₂. 

“Coke Canada Bottling is making tremendous strides towards their environmental sustainability goals by adding Volvo VNR Electric trucks to their fleet to service their beverage customers in the greater Montreal region,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president, Volvo Trucks North America.

“It was an excellent opportunity to mark this clean fleet milestone during Earth Month with Coke Canada’s employees and is a tremendous honor to partner with them as they continue their electromobility transition.”   

440 km on a charge

The battery-electric fleet features a six-battery configuration that can cover up to 440 km on a single charge, as the trucks make several daily round trips of 150 km from the company’s distribution center in Montreal to customer locations.   

“Our Red Fleet is iconic on the roads of our country and, as we strive to become the leading beverage partner in Canada, we’re extremely proud to partner with Volvo Trucks to be the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to use battery-electric trucks,” said Todd Parsons, CEO at Coca-Cola Canada Bottling.

Reducing carbon emissions

“The electrification of our fleet is a key component of our plan to reduce direct carbon emissions. We know we continue to have work to do and look forward to working together with Volvo Trucks on opportunities to expand this pilot in years to come where it makes sense. We recognize we have a responsibility to effectively manage our environmental impact and we are working to decrease the emissions from our fleet.” 

Coke Canada Bottling is also installing three 150-kW DC chargers with nine dispensers at its Montreal distribution center. The charging infrastructure is anticipated to be complete in June. 

The company utilized federal and provincial incentives (Écocamionnage and the iMHZEV programs) for heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles funding to offset the cost of the six trucks.