The eCanter
South African Breweries (SAB) and AB InBev Africa sustainability VP Taryn Rosekilly “dreams” of having a light-duty electric truck (etruck) operational within the beer maker’s South African fleet by 2022.
She says SAB is keen to use etrucks as their value is increasingly being proved in markets worldwide.
For the moment, however, SAB would like to test an etruck at a local production site, in order to gain feedback from drivers, and to see if etrucks can be charged using renewable energy.
SAB is on a sustainability drive to reduce its carbon footprint, which includes the increased use of solar energy.
In order to publicise its intent to go green, SAB last week hosted Fuso’s 7.5 t eCanter etruck at its Chamdor plant, in Krugersdorp.
This was, however, a prototype, and not suitable for use on South African roads.
Rosekilly says a light-duty truck such as the eCanter would be ideally suited from a small-drop/multidrop logistical perspective, such as in townships or inner-cities.
For example, within central Johannesburg, SAB had 715 delivery points, all within a 50 km range.
Longer range deliveries using an etruck would prove more difficult, however.
Fuso Trucks Southern Africa head Ziyad Gaba says he is not able to provide SAB with an etruck at the moment.
However, he is keen to do so, with the second generation eCanter – with a range of 350 km, up from the current model’s roughly 100 km – perhaps more suitable to South African roads.
“We’ll certainly look at providing a solution within an acceptable timeline,” says Gaba.
The current eCanter has a payload of 4.5 t. It was introduced to selected markets in 2017, with 150 units currently operational in markets such as London, Paris and New York.