British online grocer Ocado has launched a trial of all-electric, electric-assisted and pedal-powered vehicles for its rapid delivery service Ocado Zoom.
The pilot, located at the retailer’s flagship site in Acton, West London, is part of Ocado’s target to become a net zero carbon emission company by 2035.
The trial commenced on 28 January and includes electric refrigerated vans, refrigerated electric-assisted vehicles and cargo bikes, which can travel up to 40 miles due to refrigeration capabilities.
According to Ocado, this means the vehicles can deliver more orders per trip taken, resulting in a more efficient delivery service and fewer petrol and diesel vehicles on roads.
George Dean, head of Ocado Zoom, said: “We’re really excited to see a new generation of vehicles out on the road.
“We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and being the best neighbour we can, whilst delivering groceries to our customers as fast as possible.
“This trial is an important step in what I hope will be a rapid expansion of our non-emitting fleet.”
The refrigerated electric-assisted vehicles have been developed and supplied by Oxfordshire-based company Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV). Each weighs 150kg and can reach speeds of up to 15mph. Drivers can use the vehicle’s ‘hold’ button to maintain a speed of 6mph without pedalling.
Furthermore, the vehicles have capacity to carry 10 full totes of shopping, equivalent to two typical customer online grocery orders. However, as Zoom orders are typically much smaller than a standard online shop, more orders can be carried per vehicle.
As previously reported by CiTTi, EAV started its first trial with supermarket Asda in October last year.
Ocado Zoom, owned by Ocado Retail, originally launched in 2019. Customers can choose from a range of 10,000 products and decide whether they would like to receive their delivery ASAP or later that same day.
The fastest order on record is eight minutes, with an average delivery time of 40 minutes. Minimum order spend at Ocado Zoom is £15 and delivery typically costs £2.99.
As part of Ocado Retail’s expansion plans, Ocado Zoom will open several more sites around London by 2025. EVs used for ocado.com orders are also set to increase this year.
