5 Dec 22
News

H&M to pilot electric last mile deliveries

H&M to pilot electric last mile deliveries

Two pioneers in electric deliveries have joined forces to decarbonise and decongest last mile deliveries.

Volta Trucks, which specialises in fully electric heavy commercial vehicles, and Cake, the Swedish manufacturer of electric motorcycles, will collaborate on a trial in Paris for the fashion chain H&M Group in the first quarter of next year.

Warehouse to customer

The partnership brings the possibility of zero tailpipe emissions from the warehouse to the end customer.

The pilot project will see the 16-tonne Volta Zero truck, which has a pure-electric range of 150 to 200 kms (95 – 125 miles), act as a mobile warehouse, carrying both Cake motorcycles and parcels for delivery. The truck will drive to the city centre, from where the motorcycles will be used to deliver e-commerce packages.

Essa Al-Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of Volta Trucks, said: “Most of our customers are using trucks to deliver from out-of-town warehouses to inner city stores. But as a forward-thinking brand, we’ve always sought innovative partners to deliver new and industry-redefining solutions. The partnership between Volta Trucks and Cake will showcase how a combination of zero tailpipe emission transport solutions can bring benefit to brands and customers, such as the H&M Group, and city centre environments.”

Future-proof last mile deliveries

With many of Europe’s cities tightening access restrictions for diesel vehicles, Stefan Ytterborn, founder and CEO of Cake, said e-commerce consumer brands need to develop future-proof delivery models.

“Solutions need to be developed to offer lower emissions and less congestion, while benefiting from far more efficient deliveries all the way to the end customer,” he said. “This innovative mobility ecosystem that the three brands are trialling is setting a clear direction for both healthier cities and business advantages.”

Image: Volta

Authored by: Jonathan Manning