Trucks
Trucks
“Internally we aspire to be [climate] neutral in 2040,” 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement, says Dirk Van der Vlist, managing director of international logistic service provider Van der Vlist.
“We are on this planet with eight billion people,” Dirk adds. “Everybody is consuming, everybody's producing, and we think it's necessary to reduce pollution.”
Van der Vlist has been in the haulage business since 1930. Now into its third generation, it’s looking to the future of transportation. Van der Vlist foresees a sustainable future. To help it get there, it has acquired three Volvo electric trucks as part of a pilot programme – with bold ambitions for what comes next.
With a commitment to safety and sustainability baked into the company’s core values, it was only natural for Van der Vlist to take this step into electrification.
Dirk admits that being out early with an electric truck was “a bit scary”, but there is an advantage in being a front-runner. “You are in the learning process,” he adds. “We're talking about range, we're talking about charging locations and we’re talking about costs.”
We all have to find a different solution. It's necessary to reduce pollution and electric is part of the solution
From energy to marine, construction to agriculture, Van der Vlist is one of Europe’s market leaders in logistics.
It has found the transition to electric so far to be positive, especially for first and last mile transportation needs. And in cities, where it’s advantageous to run with zero emissions. “That can be a good solution,” he added. “Yes, we are happy”.
The drivers of Van der Vlist are happy too, finding the transition to an electric truck seamless. “It's smooth, it's easy, it's quiet, it's stable,” he said of the drivers’ reactions to driving them. “In special and heavy transport, we need horsepower and electric is very powerful,” Dirk added.
Dirk believes transportation businesses need to change their mindsets and embrace electrification. He thinks this can be done by using the trucks where they will perform best. “That can be a construction place or in the middle of a city,” he said. “In the short distance area, it’s a perfect solution.”
“We all have to find a different solution,” adds Dirk. “It's necessary to reduce pollution… and electric is part of the solution.”
