Logistics service provider Simon Loos is to use electric trucks to supply beer to the hospitality industry in Amsterdam city centre. The seven electric trucks will be purchased in the coming months and from 2016 will replace all the logistics provider's diesel trucks that do not meet the Euro 6 standard.
Good results
Simon Loos previously conducted a trial with the electric trucks. Initially, the aim was to expand the number of electric trucks in Amsterdam by two. But the results of the trial were so good that the company, in cooperation with Heineken, decided to start carrying out all deliveries in the Amsterdam city centre electrically.
Ideal for inner cities
For normal transport, using electric cars would not yet be profitable. For inner cities, however, delivery via electric trucks is ideal. "In the inner city, you often brake and accelerate," says fleet manager Wim Roks. "That's precisely where you benefit from the fact that the truck generates its own electricity while braking. "Simon Loos does not want to stop at Amsterdam's city centre. Together with Heineken, it hopes to only drive electric in the inner cities of the entire Randstad by 2020. Municipalities will welcome this, as more and more city councils are introducing environmental zones and other requirements to promote air quality in the city.
Read also: Parliamentary questions on proliferation of municipal environmental zones
Innovating together with the supplier
Simon Loos is buying the trucks from GINAF Trucks, which is developing the trucks especially for the logistics provider. "With this kind of pioneering, it is very important to be able to innovate together with the supplier. We therefore looked for a manufacturer that develops, builds and homologates itself according to Dutch requirements," Roks said. The trucks are based on a Mercedes-Benz Atego. The trucks have a brake energy recovery system and offer a payload of 5 tonnes.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
