In December 2020, AB InBev pioneered the first 100% electric, emission-free city delivery in Belgium, in the centre of its home city of Leuven. The e-truck is a state-of-the-art Volvo FL Electric, fully branded as Stella Artois, as a tribute to Leuven. It will replace a diesel truck, drastically reducing CO2 emissions and noise pollution.
The very first Belgian e-truck is a Volvo FL Electric Truck, which is also partly made in Ghent, Belgium. The electric truck, still one of Europe’s first commercialized e-trucks ever, is a good example of European companies and Government working together to stimulate innovation and develop new technologies to switch to a greener future.
The AB InBev e-truck is low noise and emits no CO2 per ride, and will be deployed in the city centre of Leuven. The vehicle will be used to deliver the brewer’s much-loved beers such as Jupiler, Leffe and Stella Artois and their no-alcohol variants to supermarkets, hospitals and bars.
The e-truck can drive 120 km autonomously and will make rounds of 40km during regular opening times for bars and cafes in Leuven. Especially in the heart of the city, this will make a considerable difference to the quality of life.
AB InBev is opting for an increasingly sustainable logistics policy throughout Europe and earlier this year joined the European Clean Trucking Alliance (ECTA), a newly-formed coalition of European key players in road freight. The Alliance urges the EU to accelerate the transition to clean trucks in order to meet the emission targets of the proposed EU Climate Law by 2030 and achieve a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050.
In Belgium, to protect the ‘Home of Beer’, AB InBev has been exploring the use of trains and boats to deliver beer, but for city rides trucks are still important, which is where the brewer uses the latest data analysis techniques to optimize the routes the trucks drive and thus reduce the number of kilometres they have to cover.
