Coca-Cola Canada Bottling is set to acquire six Volvo VNR electric trucks as part of a pilot program to service its ‘Red Fleet’ customer delivery routes throughout the greater Montreal area. The six trucks 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, making Coca-Cola Canada Bottling the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to use zero-tailpipe emission trucks. All six Volvo VNR Electric trucks will be delivered throughout 2023.

“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,” Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America, said. “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.”

Coca-Cola Canada Bottling utilized federal and provincial incentives (Écocamionnage and the iMHZEV programs) for heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles funding to offset the cost of the six Volvo VNR Electric trucks.

The battery-electric fleet features a six-battery configuration that can cover up to 440 kilometers (275 miles) on a single charge. The trucks will make several daily round trips of 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the company’s distribution center in Montreal to customer locations. To support charging its battery-electric fleet, Coca-Cola 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.

“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,” Todd Parsons, CEO of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling, said. “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.”