When it comes to supply chains and private fleets, food and beverage companies are “testing the waters” of electric Class 8 heavy-weight trucks. Class 8 trucks are heavy-duty tractor-trailers with gross vehicle weights of up to 80,000 pounds and are engineered to carry heavy shipments across interstates and highways. Today, 97% of Class 8 tractors are powered by diesel fuel, although that number is falling as many truck manufacturers begin to engineer emission-free electric powertrains.

Tesla has captured much media attention in recent months with its Tesla Semi, a pure-electric Class 8 tractor. It has a distinctively futuristic appearance, and the EV automaker has stated that it can travel up to 500 miles on a single charge, thanks to its (estimated) 900 kWh battery.

PepsiCo: Testing Tesla Semis in California

PepsiCo, a beverage company selling soft drink brands including Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, and 7 Up, began testing nearly two dozen Tesla Semis in California last December with the help of a U.S. $31 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). PepsiCo, the only commercial customer of Tesla's supposedly game-changing Semi truck, has discussed its truck's nuts-and-bolts performance stats, including all-important range and weights.

PepsiCo, a beverage manufacturer and distributor began testing nearly two dozen Tesla Semis in California last December with the help of a U.S. $31 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The news comes as part of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency's Run On Less program. PepsiCo's 21 Sacramento-based Tesla Semis, along with some BYD electric yard tractors and Ford E-Transit vans, have been reporting data back to NACFE at a slow trickle, but now the company has shed more light on its private fleet's adventures in e-trucking. NACFE discussed its test with shippers and carriers at the 2023 Women In Trucking’s Accelerate! Conference in Dallas last November.

The Semis in Sacramento "run two different types of routes: long-haul routes that transport between 250 and 520 miles per run and with a gross vehicle weight plus load of up to 82,000 lbs," as well as other routes under 75 miles per day, "hauling a diminishing load that leaves nearly full and lightens throughout the day as deliveries are made." NACFE previously indicated that diminishing load is beverages.

The three specific Semis reporting data to the Run On Less program "are driving slip-seated long-haul transport routes" totaling 19,122 miles since the start of the program on Sept. 11. Now for the most crucial, previously hidden detail: "Approximately 65% of miles driven during the first two weeks of Run on Less were loaded to a gross vehicle weight plus load of over 70,000 pounds," according to a PepsiCo statement. The actual payload figures, how much the truck is hauling, remain a mystery, as does the Semi's tare weight.

Data from the Run On Less event shows some Semis doing up to 800 miles in one day, but that's with charging breaks, and almost certainly not fully loaded.

So Elon Musk's claim of 500 mile range at 81,000 pounds has not yet been entirely validated, but for now PepsiCo sounds like a happy customer.

“In PepsiCo’s journey to net zero emissions by 2040, we are constantly looking to scale our impact beyond our own operations,” said Todd Squarek, Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer for PepsiCo Beverages North America. “As we electrify our fleet to reduce our emissions, we’ve captured insights around infrastructure, charging, training and partnerships that we are excited to share along with metrics captured in the Run on Less challenge.”

Coca-Cola Bottling: First Food & Beverage Manufacturer in Canada to Use Electric Trucks

But Tesla isn’t the only pure-electric Class 8 solution, and PepsiCo isn’t the only North American soft drink manufacturer using the technology for distribution. Coke Canada Bottling, distributor of Coca-Cola soft drinks, has taken delivery of six Volvo VNR Electric trucks to provide distribution services along their celebrated ‘Red Fleet’ delivery routes throughout the Greater Montreal Area in Canada — they are the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to adopt electric Class 9 trucks into its fleet. Like PepsiCo, Coke Canada Bottling took advantage of incentives to help offset the expenses associated with the new emission-free trucks.

Volvo Trucks North America President Peter Voorhoeve (left) joins Stephen du Toit, President and COO of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited (right) as the beverage manufacturer takes delivery of Volvo VNR Electric trucks at Coke Canada's distribution center in east Montreal.

Coke Canada Bottling acquired six Volvo VNR Electric trucks, as part of a pilot program to service their iconic ‘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. Coke Canada Bottling is the first Canadian food and beverage manufacturer to use zero-tailpipe emission trucks and all six Volvo VNR Electric trucks will be delivered throughout 2023.

As part of Coke Canada Bottling’s Toward a Better Future Together environmental sustainability action plan, the 6x4 Volvo VNR Electric trucks will contribute to the company’s goal of reducing carbon emissions from direct sources and supplied energy by 46.2% by 2030. Coke Canada Bottling is taking action on fuel efficiencies in their fleet through electrification and the usage of alternative fuel sources. It currently has several light-duty electric service vehicles in the Greater Montreal Area and uses B20 biofuels on all trucks newer than 2012. To date, these initiatives have led to a savings of more than 1500 tons of C02.

“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,” said Peter Voorhoeve, President, Volvo Trucks North America. “It was an excellent opportunity to mark this clean fleet milestone during (last year’s) Earth Month with Coke Canada’s employees and is a tremendous honor to partner with them as they continue their electromobility transition.”

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

“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,” says Todd Parsons, Chief Executive Officer at Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited. “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.”

To support charging its battery-electric fleet, Coke Canada Bottling is also installing three 150 kW DC chargers with nine dispensers at its Montreal distribution center.

Related Articles:

• PepsiCo: A Closer Look at ESG Supply Chain Priorities
• Resources to Build a Sustainable Food Chain
• Electric Vehicles: How Will Net Zero Net Out for Food Shippers?
• Green Logistics and the Food Chain
• Sysco Targets Transportation and Production Emissions in Sustainability Goals
• Food Companies Embrace Electric Class 8 Trucks
• PepsiCo: Food Chain Snapshot
• Decarbonize Trucking Today with RNG

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