Woolworths is establishing Australia’s first ever offsite truck charging hub to accelerate the expansion of its fleet of electric home delivery trucks.
The site will be established by global electric fleet and energy storage specialist Zenobē following the company’s procurement of an A$8.5 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of the Driving the Nation fund.
Zenobē was founded in 2017 in the UK and has since expanded its operations to include Australia, New Zealand and the Benelux Union (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg).
The funding for the site will also be integrated as part of Australia’s first ‘electric vehicle as a service’ (EVaaS) model.
Founder and Director of Zenobē Nicholas Beatty says the Australian government’s investment into the EV space is exciting.
“It is fantastic to see the Australian government supporting innovative and ambitious projects to decarbonise our transport network,” Beatty says.
“Zenobē has a strong track record of working with governments and partners across the globe to deliver transport decarbonisation projects that maximise green investments and this project exemplifies that outcome.
“Our model ensures Woolworths can focus on its core business while we design, finance, build and operate the infrastructure that delivers on its sustainability ambitions.”
The wider EV project will include a $19 million charging hub and the leasing of 60 BEV trucks to Woolworths to form part of its sustainability fleet.
The charging hub will include 22 dual port DC chargers integrated with Zenobē’s smart charging software and a second life battery made from repurposed EV batteries.
“We are working to make our fleet of home delivery trucks 100 per cent electric by 2030,” Head of Last Mile Innovation and Partnerships for WooliesX Wendy Briggs says.
“We know that will only be possible with the support of sustainability leaders like Zenobē.
“Zenobē’s unique capability and experience are helping us put more EVs on the road sooner, meaning greener home delivery for more of our customers.”
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