Two-year pilot with an electric Class 8 truck is already delivering fuel savings and lessons on routing, charging and winter performance

Kenvue, a global pharmaceutical and health and beauty product manufacturer, has partnered with Fuel Transport, a Montreal-based logistics company, on a first for both companies: a pilot project using an electric Class 8 truck. 

The project is called Electric Loop (eLoop) and is based in the Greater Toronto Area. It involves one electric truck in a multi-stop delivery route, driving on both highways and inner-city streets, with a planned deployment of two years. 

The project began in January and, according to Peter Perrella, vice-president of operations at Fuel Transport, it is a way for both companies to see how “electric freight can successfully integrate into real-world logistics operations.”

Already the project is yielding valuable operational, financial and logistical data. 

Operational planning

“One of the biggest learnings has been that successful EV deployment depends just as much on operational planning as it does on the vehicle itself,” Perrella said in an email to Electric Autonomy Canada. 

“Charging integration, route predictability, stop sequencing, traffic flow and dwell time all have a direct impact on how effectively the operation performs day-to-day.”

Chris Mascella, head of supply chain for Kenvue Canada, says the pilot is helping the company assess what it would take to scale these solutions more broadly: from operational performance to network integration.

“A key takeaway has been the importance of close coordination across the value chain — working closely with our logistics partners to evaluate routing, scheduling and infrastructure considerations in a real-world environment.”

Financial benefits

The benefits of using even just a single electric Class 8 truck have already become apparent. Perrella said the company has seen a 44.7 per cent savings over using diesel fuel, while eliminating what is working out to a yearly average of almost 15.9 tonnes of CO2.

Fuel Transport has installed its own charging infrastructure for the project, with charging scheduled around route completion and vehicle dwell time to minimize disruption to operations. 

The long term

As Fuel Transport’s first EV deployment, the pilot is intended to build knowledge about operations, vehicles and infrastructure to support more clients such as Kenvue in the future. 

Perrella is taking the encouraging results of the project in stride and staying focused on the long-term goals of eLoop.

“One of the unique aspects of this pilot is that testing began during the winter months, so we can evaluate the vehicle’s performance under more demanding — not to mention realistic — Canadian operating conditions,” he said.

“That’s important because cold-weather performance is a major consideration for EV freight deployment, in Eastern Canada especially where climates are more varied.”

Kenvue, which produces products such as Tylenol, Listerine and Aveeno, relies exclusively on third-party logistics companies for deliveries in Canada. 

Partnering with Fuel Transport on eLoop is more about learning the logistical aspect of electric fleet delivery than it is about the vehicles themselves. 

“From Kenvue’s perspective, this includes evaluating factors such as route design, delivery patterns and overall network efficiency to ensure we can maintain service levels while introducing new technologies,” said Mascella.

“The insights gained will help inform future opportunities in Canada and across our global network.”