Electric powered beer on the move across London!
Author: Communications Team
Date: 26 09 2024 15:08
Electric powered beer on the move across London!
- Asahi unveils its first fully electric truck – now delivering its drinks to pubs across the capital, from its base at the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, West London
- The electric ‘dray’ will replace Diesel powered deliveries – removing over 25k road miles per year* - as part of a trial agreed with London Councils
- Announcement coincides with Cask Ale Week – with the first journey taking Fuller’s London Pride cask beer to the iconic Churchill Arms pub, Kensington
Today heritage meets sustainable innovation as, for the first time, traditional Fuller’s cask beer brewed at the historic Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, is delivered to London pubs in a fully-electric truck – just in time for Cask Ale Week.
The new electric ‘dray’, as brewery vehicles are traditionally known, will be one of the first of its kind to enter the city in a trial agreed with London Councils - to help demonstrate the potential contribution of electric delivery lorries to creating quieter streets and supporting the city’s clean air initiatives.
The 18-tonne Volvo truck will deliver brewery owner Asahi UK’s renowned brands to pubs across London, including locally produced UK favourites such as Fuller’s ales, Meantime craft beer, and Cornish Orchards cider – as well as global beers including Asahi Super Dry, and Peroni Nastro Azzurro.
Tim Clay, Managing Director of Asahi UK commented on the launch: “At Asahi we are committed to achieving NetZero across our whole value chain by 2040, in line with UN targets. Every step we take towards these goals is significant, and renewably powered vehicles will be a key element of this.
“Being a part of London’s community since 1845 – brewing from the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick - we are proud to be championing the move to electric dray deliveries in London, contributing to quieter, cleaner streets for everyone.”
In its first year, this vehicle will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 30 tonnes of CO2, compared to a current Euro6 standard efficient drays - equivalent to the average annual carbon footprint of six people**. This reduction will increase in the second year as Asahi UK transition to fully renewable electricity across its business from January 2025.
Amy Stokes, Head of e-Mobility, Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland: “We are really pleased to see businesses like Asahi supporting our shared vision of a greener future for the transport industry. The FE Electric is a perfect zero-emission solution for this type of operation. It’s a cleaner and quieter truck than the diesel-powered vehicle it replaces, helping to make London a better place to live.”
*Taking an average of 9mpg based off the performance of equivalent diesel trucks running similar routes along with their fuel usage for prior year, 2023. Factoring in the emissions from the electricity, based off national grid emissions factors, before switching to a green VPPA in January.
Photography credit: Stuart Bailey