Helping the sector to make a net zero shift
THE Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has partnered with Renault Trucks and contract hire company Vertellus to offer its members electric HGVs for hire.
SWA members now have the opportunity to rent a fully electric Renault Trucks E-Tech D 18-tonne HGV for 12 months, at the near equivalent cost of renting a diesel HGV, says the organisation.
Carlos Rodrigues, managing director for Renault Trucks UK & Ireland, said: “We are delighted to partner with the SWA to support its members in decarbonising their fleets by offering Renault Trucks through the Vertellus EV Discovery Programme, which provides an affordable, low-risk opportunity to trial electric trucks in real-world operations.
“The time to drive the transition to greener freight transport is now, and the SWA is perfectly positioned to lead this change across Scotland.”
Five vehicles have been made available to the SWA by Renault Trucks and those members interested in renting out one of the vehicles must do so by late November to early December and must be able to take delivery.
This latest move from the SWA makes up part of its wider ambition to ‘Decarbonise’ the Scottish wholesale sector, which has seen the firm working with Volvo to help the sector to achieve this goal towards net zero emissions.
Ylva Haglund, head of sustainability at the SWA, said: “The offer is for a 12-month trial rental period, with a breakout period after three months, the hope of which is to build confidence within the wholesale channel and help transition members to net-zero fleets as part of their ongoing vehicle replacement strategy.
“Through our ongoing work with both Renault Trucks and Volvo, and with other stakeholders, we have contributed to the Scottish Government’s HGV Decarbonisation Pathway.
“Our own report, ‘Decarbonising the Scottish Wholesale Sector’, explores our sector’s carbon emissions and attitudes to climate action, and shows that the majority of operational emissions for Scottish wholesalers are from vehicle fleets – in fact, HGV fuel makes up an estimated 63.7% of operational carbon emissions in the Scottish wholesale sector.
“Our report further shows that there are differences in emissions for different sizes of wholesalers, with vehicle emissions accounting for a higher proportion of emissions from SMEs.”
