Grocery giant Loblaw doubles electric semi fleet, has 25 Tesla Semis on order

Canadian grocery chain Loblaw announced that its doubled the size of its fleet of zero-emission semi trucks by deploying 10 new, battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia Class 8 trucks in Vancouver.

The new Freightliner eCascadia electric semi trucks were initially delivered to Loblaw late last month, and are now in full operation throughout Vancouver and British Columbia.

“(The city of) Vancouver stood out as the ideal location,” says Wayne Scott, senior director of maintenance at Loblaw Companies Ltd. “(It) has consistently prioritized green initiatives, making it a front-runner in adopting eco-friendly technologies.”

Loblaw eCascadia electric semi trucks

These 10 electric semis will join the original four that began service last April, in the Greater Montreal Area, bringing the size of Loblaw’s operational eCascadia fleet to 14. The company says it has an additional 25 Tesla Semi trucks on order. Those Teslas, along with future eCascadia orders, will help the grocer reach its stated goal of transitioning to a fully zero-emission transport fleet by 2030.

“The addition of these electric trucks is a testament to our dedication to clean energy and responsible corporate citizenship,” Scott adds. “We firmly believe that this investment will not only benefit our company but also contribute positively to the environment and the communities we serve.”

The company’s four electric trucks have been making short-haul deliveries from a distribution center to more than 200 Loblaw stores, traveling approximately 370 km (about 230 miles) per charge while hauling up to 32,000 kg (70,500 lbs.). At night, they charge at one of five 180 kW ABB chargers located roughly 10 km outside of Coquitlam.

Electrek’s Take

Loblaw’s eCascadia fleet is decked out in a green and blue “plug-in” livery with “100% electric” prominently emblazoned on the trucks’ front fenders. Simply put, they are going to be highly visible throughout Western Canada – a region that’s as easily associated with oil, tar sands, and pickup trucks as South Dakota or Wyoming. After a while, it’s going to be even harder for the anti-EV hysterics up there to pretend BEVs can’t do real work.