Foodstuffs electric heavy truck avoids 81 tonnes CO2 in first six months of NZ freight runs

Foodstuffs North Island reports its Deepway Star electric heavy truck avoided over 81 tonnes of CO2 during its first six months on lower North Island routes. The vehicle covered 44,524 km hauling chilled and frozen groceries from Palmerston North, with the truck itself saving 72,053 kg and its electric refrigerated trailer adding another 9,118 kg. That combined saving is roughly equal to taking 35 petrol cars off the road for a year. The co-operative is now assessing charging and grid infrastructure needed to scale its electric fleet, including building EV capacity into new distribution centres. With five centres and about 30 million km driven annually, the test shows heavy freight electrification is becoming practical in New Zealand, though the numbers depend on the grid's carbon intensity and the vehicle's real-world efficiency across routes.