Kaufland, a German supermarket chain, is electrifying its freight operations, starting with a pioneering project at the Möckmühl logistics site with the opening of its first charging park.
The facility boasts eight chargers, each with a separate lane for an electric tractor unit, including an electrically powered refrigerated trailer. This project stands as one of the largest in Germany. The columns consist of DC charging stations with an output of up to 350 kW, enabling rapid charging.
As part of its strategic partnership with Einride, a provider of intelligent solutions for digital, electric, and autonomous freight transportation, Kaufland will deploy large e-trucks for store deliveries.
Since it was founded in 2016, Einride has helped to reduce the CO² emissions of its business partners by up to 95 percent compared to diesel-driven alternatives.
In the initial phase of this partnership, eight electric 40-ton trucks will serve ten stores in the Ludwigsburg area from the distribution center in Möckmühl, Baden-Württemberg.
The trucks used by Einride are the eActros 300 model from Mercedes-Benz, with a gross vehicle weight of 40 tons and a capacity of 33 Euro pallet spaces.
The initiative goes beyond electric trucks, as fully electric refrigerated trailers will be used to transport the goods.
Around 20,000 pallets per month will be moved electrically and digitally, resulting in emission-free transport – a conversion that, based on analyses by Einride’s intelligent mobility platform Saga, yields a CO2 savings potential of 900 metric tons per year.
Following the introductory phase, which will last from the end of 2023 to mid-2024, the extent to which the partnership can be scaled up further will be discussed.
Alexander Frohmann, managing director transport logistics international at Kaufland, says: “Thanks to the cooperation with Einride and the charging park in Möckmühl, we will be able to significantly reduce our CO2 emissions for store deliveries in the future.
“The e-trucks are also very quiet, which is a huge advantage, especially for stores in the city center and residential areas. With this realignment, we are living up to our economic and, above all, our ecological responsibility.”
Robert Ziegler, general manager EMEA at Einride, says: “Kaufland plays a pioneering role as a successful international retailer that has been setting ambitious sustainability goals for years and pursuing them consistently and with a spirit of innovation.
“We are therefore proud to be a partner in this transformation and look forward to working together to make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and creating a sustainable and intelligent supply chain.”
The opening of the e-charging park took place yesterday afternoon, as part of an event attended by political and business representatives.
Among others, Elke Zimmer, state secretary at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport, visited the new charging park and said afterward: “In order to achieve the state’s climate protection goals, a transformation towards climate-neutral freight transport is essential.
“We want to ensure that every second tonne of freight transport is climate-neutral by 2030. The development of an efficient charging infrastructure for electric trucks is an important building block for this.
“The fact that companies are taking responsibility here and committing to change marks a significant step towards a sustainable future.”
Kaufland has long been committed to efficient resource utilization and thus promoting environmental protection, particularly within its logistics framework.
Recently, the company became the first food retailer to earn the “3rd Star” environmental award from the “Lean & Green” initiative, acknowledging its substantial reduction in CO2 emissions.
Kaufland Logistics had previously received the “Lean and Green 2nd Star” from GS1 Germany in 2019, the “Lean and Green 1st Star” in 2016, and its inaugural award in 2014.
As part of this initiative, Kaufland says it has already slashed emissions by more than 40 percent compared to the base year.
