<
https://thedriven.io/2024/05/17/ikea-to-build-electric-truck-charging-network-across-australian-stores/>
"Furniture giant IKEA has revealed plans to assemble a $4.5 million electric
truck charging network as part of its drive towards zero-emission deliveries.
The Swedish firm announced its investment on Friday, revealing the network
built by Jet Charge would include charging stations at its 10 Australian retail
locations as well as its Sydney distribution centre.
The investment is one of the biggest in electric delivery vehicles, coming
after low-emission transport commitments from companies including Team Global
Express and Woolworths.
IKEA Australia zero-emissions delivery lead Alexandra Kelly told AAP the
decision to invest in charging stations was made to meet IKEA’s global target
of 100 per cent zero-emission truck deliveries by 2025.
Currently, 40 per cent of IKEA deliveries are made using electric trucks but Ms
Kelly said a lack of charging infrastructure was proving a hurdle for its
delivery partners, Australian National Couriers, Kings Transport and All
Purpose Transport.
“We identified that a lot of challenges in the market were related to two
things: the cost of vehicles and access to charging infrastructure,” she said.
“The public network really supports passenger vehicles so if a van or a truck
tries to use a passenger vehicle charger they may not fit in the parking bay.”
The firm’s $4.5 million investment will see six electric vehicle chargers
installed at each Australian IKEA store, in addition to 28 charging stations at
its distribution centre in Marsden Park, Sydney.
Ms Kelly said the network would feature a mix of slower AC chargers and
high-power DC chargers to accommodate overnight and top-up recharging, and she
hoped the announcement would motivate other retail chains to embrace an
electric transport future.
“This is a really exciting investment and I think it will shift the way other
retailers look at their investments supporting the transition,” she said.
“Hopefully, it will inspire change.”"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
