Danish supermarket chain goes all-in on electrification
Solar panels on the roof, a depot charging station and ten electric trucks from Scania. Danish supermarket chain Rema 1000 prides itself in doing as little harm as possible to the environment. This film shows how they work.
Even though Rema 1000’s history began in the Norwegian city of Trondheim in 1948, it’s best known today as a Danish supermarket chain. With its slogan “discount with attitude” Rema 1000 currently has 368 stores across Denmark and employs around 14,000 people.
“Our attitude is to do as little harm as possible to the environment. That’s why we’ll do everything we can to reduce our CO2 emissions,” says Kenneth Veng Jespersen, Transport Manager at Rema 1000.
Solar panels for charging of electric trucks
The Danish supermarket chain has really done its homework to achieve its emission reduction goal. The company recently put a new 28,000 square metre solar panel system into operation at its warehouse in the Danish town of Horsens.
“We would like to use it both for our transport and our business,” says Veng Jespersen.
Rema 1000 has also invested in a charging station outside the warehouse, where solar energy is used to charge the trucks. It’s an ideal solution, says Veng Jespersen.
“Fortunately, our trucks come back here in the middle of the day. That’s when the sun shines brightest and we have the most surplus energy.”
CO2 tax pushed the decision
The purchase of electric trucks is sometimes questioned because of their higher up-front cost, but Rema 1000’s view is that battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) make good business sense. One deciding factor is the new CO2 emissions tax that will be introduced to several of Denmark’s key roads in 2025. The amount of tax paid will be based on the vehicle’s CO2 emissions per kilometre.
“Electric trucks have an advantage, so that gives us an okay cost level. Even if we don't save money, it’s at least cost-neutral compared to how we currently do things,” says Veng Jespersen.
Appreciation for Scania’s battery technology
One of the main reasons for Rema 1000 investing in ten electric trucks from Scania was the company’s battery technology.
“It’s built on Scania's modular technology, so the batteries are also modular,” Veng Jespersen says. “We believe it's better in the long term. We can replace individual cells and have better possibilities to reuse the batteries when they get older.”
Anticipating the first BEV: “A day of celebration”
Veng Jespersen says he’s looking forward to the day when the first Scania BEV goes through the warehouse gates.
“It will be a day of celebration. We have built a charging station and we can use our solar panels to become greener than we already are. I’m certain that Scania will be a great partner to help us achieve that.”
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