Fonterra teams up with Volvo Trucks NZ to expand its electric fleet 

The Volvo FL Electric is the forerunner of a stable of sustainable alternatives from the global truck brand. Paul Illmer, Vice President Emerging Technology Business Development at Volvo Group Australia confirmed that Volvo has a battery electric or fuel cell electric alternative for every Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) model on the market, either currently in production or at trial stage.

Paul Illmer said that the actual truck is only part of the solution when it comes to New Zealand’s transition to sustainable transport.

“Tools, expertise and infrastructure are essential to deliver operational peace of mind for New Zealand transport companies as they make the shift to e-mobility,” said Illmer. “Selecting the right model and specification for both application and route is critical, as is driver training, specialist aftersales support, and charging infrastructure.”

Fonterra Brands New Zealand Managing Director Brett Henshaw said that the new truck is an important step for the Co-op, as it looks to reduce emissions across its entire supply chain.

“Our objective is to fulfil our Co-op’s long-term commitment to be a leader in sustainability, while also upholding our customer commitments. It’s great to partner with Volvo Trucks NZ, and one of the largest groups supporting the New Zealand transport industry, Sime Darby Motors NZ.”

The new truck is one part of Fonterra’s wider fleet decarbonisation journey. Last year it implemented a new policy that all light vehicles that can be electric to be transitioned when they are next replaced.  Fonterra’s aim is for more than 300 light vehicles to be electric vehicles by the end of 2023.

The Co-op has also invested in its tanker fleet, adopting the latest technology in terms of efficiency and lower emissions. Earlier this year, Fonterra took that one step further and, with funding support from EECA, are trialling the first fully electric milk tanker in New Zealand. 

At the Volvo FLE launch event, the Volvo Trucks technical team demonstrated route planning technology and tools that support proactive route and battery management, giving transport operators confidence facing customer contract guarantees during their transition to more sustainable transport.

The Volvo Trucks NZ technical team has been preparing for electric trucks on the ground over the past year, flying to Volvo Global headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden for intensive training. This will allow the team to certify technicians on the EV decommission / commission process and train the Sime Darby Commercial Aftersales network on processes required to prepare workshops to service electric trucks and become authorised EV repairers.