South African retail giant, Checkers Hyper, becomes the first grocery and household store to pilot a heavy-duty fully-electric truck in its fleet of vehicles.
The Checkers Hyper-branded has unveiled a new Scania Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) that boasts nine batteries and solar panels fitted to its roof.
Checkers says these help support a fully-electric cooling system for its refrigerated carriage, which can fit approximately 16 pallets.
Shoprite said the heavy-duty truck could drive on the road for about 350km on a single charge and would be used for local deliveries.
It will be recharged with renewable energy generated by Shoprite’s existing solar installations, which the company recently pronounced had grown so large it could cover 20 soccer fields.
One of the biggest retailers in the game, Shoprite Group chief supply chain officer Andrew Havinga said the acquisition of the company’s first fully-electric truck was one of the ways it aimed to increase the energy efficiency of its fleet and reduce its environmental impact.
Mybroadband published that chief among the features of Scania truck is the glow-in-the-dark signage that makes it more visible at night.
“When exposed to bright (day) light, the signage can absorb and store particles,” Shoprite explained.
“This stored energy is again emitted when it is dark, resulting in a glow.”
The truck will be driven by 28-year-old Robin Jooste from Colorado Park in Mitchell’s Plain, pictured below alongside Shoprite CEO Pieter Engelbrecht.
BusinessTech Africa recently published that South African giant retailer Shoprite Holdings has announced a groundbreaking move to ensure they play a huge role in relation to climate change and pollution.
The country’s biggest chain store has announced that it has fitted solar PV systems on more than 1,000 of its trailers, using the sun to power refrigeration, tail lifts, and surveillance equipment.
Recognised as the country’s biggest retailer, Shoprite is on a mission to power a quarter of its operations with renewable energy within the next five years.
