Supporting initiatives to decarbonise its customers supply chains in Latin America, A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) conducted two pilots to provide electric truck capabilities to customers in Brazil. The pilots were done with heavy-duty tractor units, that would allow the transportation of containers (FCL).
The two-week pilots were carried out with two different EV truck manufacturers in Brazil. To analyse the possibilities of providing landside connectivity, the pilots were conducted in the metropolitan region of São Paulo on a 100 km span between Barueri – Barra Funda – São Bernardo do Campo (charging station), and in the state of Santa Catarina between Itapoa – Araquari (round trip) on a 230 km span.
For the pilots, Maersk installed electric charging stations in its operational areas to ensure night-time charging. The reliance of logistics facilities and land transportation on renewable electricity sources is closely tied to factors such as local infrastructure investment requirements and support from local regulations. Currently, electric vehicles and alternative energy solutions are only available on a limited scale in these contexts.
To achieve climate neutral landside transportation solutions by 2040, Maersk is prioritising electrification in heavy-duty trucking in collaboration with customers with 100% renewable electricity sourced, as well as identifying one time emission reduction opportunities within the modal shift.
The call for more sustainable business practices is coming from both consumers and customers alike. Remarkably, over half of Maersk’s top 200 customers have already committed to the UN Global Compact, which calls for support of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Furthermore, two-thirds of our 200 customers have set net-zero or science-based targets.
To meet the need for end-to-end sustainable logistics solutions, Maersk is actively exploring opportunities in regions where infrastructure for reducing emissions on land is not readily available. Currently, Maersk is evaluating the results of a pilot test in Brazil to determine scalability of integrating these solutions into the region’s product portfolio, providing customers with a broader range of sustainable transportation options.
(Maersk)
