Heineken brings beer to Amsterdam with battery electric tank beer truck.
Beer brewer Heineken supplies cafes* in the city centre of Amsterdam with the world’s first electric-powered mini tank beer truck. If it’s up to the brewer, diesel fumes are a thing of the past in the historic heart.
Hans Böhm, Managing Director Heineken Netherlands
Heineken has a strong green ambition and we look at the entire chain.
“Of course, this is also about clean transport. I am happy that we can now transport a large weight such as tank beer sustainably.”
“It is not only about emissions and soot particles, the decibels are also significantly reduced because the new electric truck is whisper-quiet. “This new mode of transport benefits the quality of life for everyone who lives, works or visits in the city centre. An additional advantage is that thanks to this leap forward you can enjoy a beer even better on, for example, a terrace. I’d rather hear smiling people and beautiful music than a roaring engine that also stinks and suffocates.”
The tank beer truck is smaller than its predecessor and therefore much more manoeuvrable; that is nice for the driver but it is also advantageous for road safety. The tank beer truck feeds on green electricity and with this Heineken lives up to the ‘house colour’ even more than it already did.
Last August it was announced that all Heineken® beer will be brewed 100% green for the Dutch market. The fact that more sustainable transport is now also being added is a nice milestone and a prelude to more clean kilometers.
“This new mode of transport benefits the quality of life for everyone who lives, works or visits in the city centre.”
“An additional advantage is that thanks to this leap forward you can enjoy a beer even better on, for example, a terrace. I’d rather hear smiling people and beautiful music than a roaring engine that also stinks and suffocates.”
Loading and unloading
Electric transport is not without its struggles. Where it is already quite commonplace in passenger transport, the goods segment is still looking for sufficient traction. This development is taking place in full. Nevertheless, the weight of the load has to be divided between several cars and journeys for the time being.
That kite also applies to Heineken; from the brewery in Den Bosch a large truck with 200 hectolitres of fresh beer drives to the outskirts of the city. There, 30 hectolitres are pumped to the smaller and 100% electric tank beer truck that provides whisper-quiet and without emissions about five cafes with fresh Heineken, Amstel or Brand beer.
Once empty, the truck will start filling up power and beer on the outskirts of the city to continue its journey into the historic heart of the city. The new trucks are a lot lighter than their predecessors and meet the standard of up to 7.5 tons to protect quays and bridges. In this first phase, two electric tank beer trucks will drive in Amsterdam. Heineken intends to make the fleet for urban distribution cleaner and quieter in the coming years.
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Green transport at an accelerated pace
Because electric tank beer transport is relatively new, it was initially a bit of a search for the rules of the game. That too is part of pioneering. Before you can invest in electric beer transport as a brewer, it must be clear which do’s and don’t’s are in force in the city centre.
At what times can you drive? Because more often back and forth to refuel power and beer also means different driving times. What about the infrastructure for charging stations and parking? Thanks in part to the efforts of Alderman Egbert de Vries, the Municipality of Amsterdam and Heineken have found each other completely in the joint ambition to get the city cleaner and quieter.
Egbert De Vries, Alderman Traffic And Transport, Water And Air Quality – Municipality Of Amsterdam
Supply is crucial for the city , but in order to keep Amsterdam livable and accessible, trucks need to become cleaner, lighter, safer and smarter.
“In order to achieve these goals, we recently launched the Logistics Platform020 together with the sector. Together with companies such as Heineken, we are looking at the future of the city’s supply. The launch of the electric tank beer truck shows how companies can make an important contribution to the liveable city that we can only realize together.”
Heineken goes for zero
Heineken’s step in electric transport fits seamlessly with the ‘Cooperation Agreement Logistics 020’ presented on 23 June. This agreement contains clear agreements on improving road safety, the protection of quays and bridges, the zero emission zone for freight and order traffic that will be in force from 2025, more living space and clean air for residents of the city centre.
With heineken’s move, their large tank beer trucks will disappear permanently from the street scene in the city centre. Apart from the emissions in the city, safety and weight, Heineken reduces CO2 emissions by more than 40% on the entire transport from the brewery in Den Bosch with the new truck and the mobile city hub. That’s a lot fresher. Heineken sincerely hopes that this will pave the way for the green road up.
tankbiertruck Wereldprimeur voor Amsterdam, AMSTERDAM, LEIDEN, July 6, 2021
