Boortmalt, a malt firm based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, has embarked on an initiative to significantly reduce its carbon footprint by incorporating a 44-tonne electric truck into its delivery fleet.
The company aims to utilise a Volvo FH electric 6x2 pusher tractor unit with trailer to transport malt from its Suffolk base to breweries, with the expectation of achieving a substantial 75% reduction in the Carbon footprint of its UK supply chain.
The electric truck, supplied by freight company Bartrums based in Eye, is touted as the first of its kind to be employed in East Anglia. According to Tremayne Johnson, the operations director at Bartrums, the 666hp truck boasts a 200-mile range when fully loaded. He highlighted the noteworthy capability of the vehicle’s battery, which can be fully charged in approximately four hours using a robust 150kW Charger at Boortmalt’s facility.
Bartrums has leased the electric truck, valued at around £340,000, from Volvo and is deploying it on the Boortmalt contract. The electric vehicle will be making deliveries within East Anglia and beyond, transporting barley from the company’s network of suppliers and stores. Annual mileage is expected to be around 80,000km per year with the electric truck, replacing diesel-powered vehicles and thereby contributing to a substantial reduction in the carbon footprint of its UK supply chain.
