Walmart puts electric trucks on the road in BC

Walmart Canada has put three class 8 Freightliner eCascadia battery electric trucks on the road in British Columbia.

Based out of a Surrey distribution centre that as specially designed to support alternative-fuel vehicles, the trucks will be delivering grocery products to regional stores.

Walmart said in a release that the trucks will allow it to save over 100,000 litres of fuel a year. Each one will travel about 11,000 kilometres annually.

“Putting our first electric semi-trucks on the road in British Columbia is an important milestone in our regenerative efforts as we do our part to reduce Walmart Canada’s carbon footprint. The introduction of three electric semi-trucks at our Surrey distribution centre is just the first step towards our ambition of a 100 percent alternatively powered fleet and we look forward to continuing our journey,” said Aaron Ritter, director, transportation, at Walmart Canada.

The Freightliner eCascadia is an all-electric, zero-emissions semi-truck that can travel approximately 400 kilometres per charge. The eCascadia is suited for short-haul routes that allow for depot-based charging, examples of which include last mile logistics, local and regional distribution, drayage and warehouse to warehouse applications.

The trucks can be recharged to 80 percent of battery capacity in approximately 90 minutes.

The eCascadia came to market in 2022, and is becoming a popular choice for fleets seeking to electrify. In Quebec, for example, in April 2023 Loblaw put the first series production eCascadia on the road in Canada making daily runs between Loblaw’s distribution centre in Boucherville, Quebec, and Loblaw stores in the Greater Montreal Area, which include Provigo, Provigo Le Marche, and Maxi. 

“It’s no secret that vehicle decarbonization is central to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and we want to lead in the adoption of this new technology,” said Brian Springer, VP, national transport operations at Loblaw.

“For nearly two years, we’ve piloted different vehicles across various parts of our business, and we’re excited to roll-out a solution that works.”

Also in Quebec, Brossard Leasing has five of the trucks equipped with a 438 kWh battery and equivalent to a 470 HP engine in its fleet.