Labatt Breweries of Canada has made its largest investment in electrified transportation to date, with the purchase of 10 battery-powered delivery trucks from Volvo servicing the Montreal area.

Representing the largest single order of Volvo’s VNR electric trucks in Canada, each tractor unit will replace a diesel-powered model and offset the annual carbon dioxide emissions of approximately six passenger cars - just under 28 tonnes.

Capable of carrying up to 80,000 pounds of goods, the trucks have a maximum range of 280 kilometres on a single charge.

Already on the road, the 10 electric trucks service Labatt’s Montreal and Bois-des-Filion distribution centres, with charging stations present on both sites. The trucks at the Montreal centre are averaging 50 kilometres per day, while the ones at the Bois-des-Filion location are travelling 110 kilometres per day on average.

The investment of almost $5.47 million, with approximately a quarter covered by government funding, contributes to Toronto-headquartered Labatt’s sustainability goal to be net-zero in Canada by 2040, Hannah Love, senior director of communications, told Sustainable Biz Canada.

“We’ve always had an interest as a company in investing in sustainable technologies,” she said. Federal and provincial grants “made it an easy decision to roll out the fleet in Quebec.”

A smooth ride to electrification for Labatt

Representing a test case for Labatt, the province is the right market for the initiative because of the shorter distances covered by the trucks, Love said.

The first five trucks were received in the fall, and the remainder reached Labatt in mid-November. The brewer selected Volvo because its vehicles are easy to get to market, Love added.

As beer makes for a heavy haul, the trucks’ chassis and box on the back were modified to support the weight, she explained. Labatt also worked with Volvo to customize battery duration to meet its specific needs.

Travelling between supermarkets, convenience stores, bars and restaurants in Montreal, the trucks help supply a wide range of Labatt’s customers.

Charging is provided by single- and dual-port stations developed by ABB. As Quebec’s electrical grid taps into power that is overwhelmingly renewables-based, the trucks’ batteries are getting some of the lowest-carbon charging in Canada.

So far, there have been no “teething problems” with Labatt’s first electric trucks. The drivers have given positive feedback regarding the comfort, handling and ease of use, Love said.

Aware that EV batteries lose some charge in cold conditions, Labatt remains confident in the trucks’ capacity to accommodate winter weather and adapted its plans for the trucks around such changes.

“These trucks, they were what we needed them for, certainly.”

Labatt’s sustainability goals

To meet its 2040 net-zero target, Labatt is taking a range of actions, including installing a heat recovery system at its Montreal brewery and switching more of its fleet to electric models.

Another example of electrification is the purchase of a battery-powered zero-emission mobile repair truck announced in July.

All of Labatt’s Canadian electric fleet is located in Quebec, making up five per cent of the company’s vehicle fleet in the country and seven per cent in Quebec.

Labatt plans to make more investments into green technologies, Love said, and expand its EV fleet. The company does not currently have a specific plan for electric truck adoption in other provinces, however.

Government grants are welcomed by Labatt, as programs from the Canadian and Quebec governments aided the company in the electric truck purchases.

“If there are any other opportunities in the future, we’d love to work with federal or provincial governments in that respect,” Love said.

Labatt’s parent company Anheuser Busch InBev shares its 2040 net-zero goal.

As of 2022, Anheuser Busch InBev reported the firm derived two-thirds of its electricity from renewables and had cut the greenhouse gas emissions from its direct operations and purchases of electricity, steam, heat and cooling by 39.2 per cent against its 2017 baseline. In Belgium, Brazil and the U.S., Anheuser Busch InBev also has electric trucks on the road.