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Australian retail giant signs 148-truck EV deal as electric freight moves beyond pilot stage

Image Credit: Zenobē

Supermarket giant Woolworths will lease 148 electric delivery trucks from fleet electrification specialist Zenobē, in what the companies say is Australia’s largest electric truck rollout to date.

The landmark deal, announced on Thursday, is being supported by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and will see the new electric trucks added to Woolworths’ expanding last-mile delivery fleet across Australia. The first trucks were delivered in May, with the full rollout expected to be completed progressively through 2026.

The deal signals a shift for electric freight in Australia, moving beyond small pilots and demonstrations into larger-scale commercial deployment.

“This project is evidence that electrification is a commercial opportunity,” said Gareth Ridge, Zenobē’s country director for Australia and New Zealand.

“Woolworths is already rolling out hundreds of electric trucks at scale, that’s almost unheard of in Australia’s freight sector and proof that with the right business model and competitive pricing from Zenobē, electrification stacks up right now.

“Together with Woolworths and the CEFC, we’re proving that large-scale zero-emissions logistics is no longer a pilot, it’s commercially viable and operationally proven.”

Woolworths has been one of the more visible adopters of electric delivery trucks in Australia, having previously pledged to transition its entire home delivery fleet of around 3,000 vehicles to electric by 2030.

The supermarket giant says the latest rollout will help cut pollution from the familiar green home delivery trucks operating in residential areas.

“Our home delivery trucks are a familiar sight in suburbs across Australia,” said Woolworths Group director last mile and partnerships Sarah Pike.

“These EVs will help keep suburban streets quieter and cleaner, and make the weekly grocery shop greener for Aussie families.”

Zenobē is becoming an increasingly larger player in the Australian electric truck market, having recently launched a $100 million fleet electrification program aimed at medium and large heavy vehicle operators.

Zenobē says its model is designed to remove some of the biggest barriers to fleet electrification, including the upfront cost of vehicles, charging infrastructure, battery management and operational planning, and now supports more than 3,400 commercial electric vehicles across 122 depots globally, and is also active in second-life battery use and grid-scale battery storage.

The new 148-truck agreement adds to growing signs that electric trucks are beginning to move into mainstream freight and delivery operations in Australia, particularly for predictable urban and depot-based routes where vehicles can return to base for charging.

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