The company’s first three electric semi-trailer trucks will go into operation in British Columbia at Walmart’s Surrey grocery distribution centre

Retail giant Walmart Canada is beginning to transition its delivery fleet to zero-emission vehicles, starting with three electric semi-trailer trucks.

The Freightliner eCascadia electric semi trucks will operate out of Walmart Canada’s grocery distribution centre in Surrey, B.C.

The centre is able to support electrified vehicles.

“Putting our first electric semi-trailers on the road in British Columbia represents an important step in our regeneration journey as we do our part to reduce Walmart Canada’s carbon footprint,” said Aaron Ritter, Walmart’s director of transportation, in a press release.

The company estimates the three electric semis will save 100,000 litres of fuel each year.

Freightliner eCascadia semis

The Freightliner eCascadia semi trucks are able to travel just over 400 kilometres on a single charge. Walmart Canada anticipates the trucks will each travel 70,000 km per year.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is essential to combat global warming. [T]he industrial sector is slow to make the switch to electric vehicles,” said City of Surrey mayor, Brenda Locke.

“I am very pleased that Walmart Canada has chosen Surrey as a starting point for this first step in its acquisition of an electric vehicle fleet.” 

Walmart’s 2023 annual report states the goal is to “achieve zero emissions in our operations by 2040 — without offsets — and to reduce or avoid one billion metric tons of emissions in our value chain by 2030.”

In its 2023 annual and sustainability reports, Walmart does not give electrification goals specific to Canada. But it does say of its U.S. operations, “By 2030, we intend to build out our EV fast-charging network to at least 10,000 chargers across 2,500+ Walmart and Sam’s Club locations in the U.S., expanding on the EV fast charging stations that are already available at over 280 locations across the U.S.”

Walmart has approximately 403 retail locations across Canada. It is unknown if Walmart Canada used CleanBC’s Go Electric rebates or the federal government’s iMHZEV rebate program.