Electra’s eCargo Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle was deployed on a route with a typical daily journey of 208 miles from the supermarket’s depot in Sherburn-on-Elmet to Newcastle and back.
Electra boasts the trips emitted zero emissions compared to an average of 314kg of CO2 emitted per day by a diesel truck making the same trip.
In addition, Electra says data collected from the trial also showed that the HGV used approximately 65% of its hydrogen capacity per trip, giving it an approximate operational daily range of 320 miles on one fill of hydrogen.
Gary King, Head of Engineering & Compliance, Sainsbury’s, has praised the trial, commenting:
“We are committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our fleet and this trial has played a pivotal role in the development of our strategy. Achieving zero carbon emissions for a regular haulage route is a significant initial step and will inform future decision making.”
Sid Sadique, Founder and Chairman of Electra Commercial Vehicles, also commented as follows:
“I am thrilled with the truck’s performance during its tour in the Tees Valley area. Seeing something that was just a vision for the future on paper over a year ago now becoming a reality is fantastic. It, again, demonstrates how Electra is the undisputed leader in net-zero road transport transition, taking the UK and Europe another step closer to reaching their critical decarbonisation ambitions. We will now bring fully operational hydrogen trucks onto our roads in 2023, as well as further building on the success of our electric ranges. We could not have made this a success without our partner Element 2, which provided a robust hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for the project. We look forward to working with Element 2 in future hydrogen undertakings. What we have achieved together gives transport operators the confidence to switch to hydrogen sooner rather than later.”
According to Sainsbury’s, the Electra eCargo truck received positive feedback from drivers participating in the trial “due to its quiet operation and ease of driving”.