Geodis will begin making deliveries for French supermarket group Carrefour in Lille using a hybridrefrigerated trailer truck as part of its new Distripolis urban logistics scheme.
The first-of-its-kind service, due to start on October 6, will mean deliveries to the sixCarrefour stores in Lille city centre will be both cleaner and quieter, the logistics group said.
Last May, Geodis teamed up with Renault Trucks to test a unique hybrid vehicle equipped witha cryogenic refrigeration unit. The vehicle was proposed to several customers for testing, andretailer Carrefour agreed to test the vehicle. A perfect fit with Carrefour’s sustainabledevelopment strategy, the 26-tonne hybrid truck complies with the Euro 5 standard.
The thermal engine–electric motor combo in hybrid trucks like this one lowers dieselconsumption by an average of 20 per cent. This represents an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of10 tonnes. Besides improving fuel consumption, hybrid power reduces noise appreciably duringdeliveries because the electric motor takes over at speeds between 0 and 20 km/h.
The use of liquid nitrogen, a non-toxic substance that emits no CO2, as the refrigerationfluid makes this vehicle even more environmentally friendly. The liquid nitrogen refrigeration unitruns silently, so there is no noise pollution. This vehicle also has separate transportcompartments, so both fresh produce and dry goods can be delivered. Last, the cooling unit lowersthe temperature twice as fast, making the truck especially good for the transport of vegetables.
Geodis said the rollout of this first hybrid vehicle is a new initiative in its sustainabledevelopment policy. Geodis BM, its road transport division, has undertaken various measures toreduce emissions. For example, since 2006, Geodis BM has limited the speed of all trucks in itsfleet to 82 km/h, thus saving 1.2 l/100 km in fuel. In 2011, 100 per cent of its drivers receivedtraining in ecological driving. Geodis BM also remains committed to multimodal transport. In 2010,69,612 kilometres of transport services where performed by rail, avoiding the emission of69,611,502 tonnes of CO2.
Launched in Paris in June 2011, Distripolis is a revolutionary urban freight transport systemthat promotes sustainable development through the efficient management of a multimodal logisticschain from the first to the last kilometre. Consolidating the flows of goods into cities andencouraging the development of “last kilometre” logistics that will have the lowest possible impacton residents and the community are crucial issues for Geodis.
