Albert Heijn recently opened a new charging hub for electric trucks at its National Distribution Center in Geldermalsen. Equipped with ten fast chargers delivering up to 560 kW, the facility marks another significant step in decarbonizing the retailer’s logistics network.
If you spot an electric truck on a Dutch motorway today, there is a good chance it is delivering groceries. Supermarket chains such as Albert Heijn, Lidl, Jumbo, SPAR, and Hoogvliet—together with their logistics partners—are leading the electrification of heavy-duty road transport in the Netherlands. This is no coincidence. The structure of supermarket logistics makes electrification both technically feasible and financially attractive.
Predictable Routes and Fixed Depots
Supermarket trucks typically operate highly predictable routes. They travel from a distribution center to a fixed set of stores and return to the depot at the end of the day. This regularity makes route planning and battery management relatively straightforward. Range anxiety, a major concern in many transport sectors, is far less relevant.
In addition, these vehicles return to the same depot every day, allowing operators to rely primarily on depot charging rather than public charging infrastructure. Many retailers are investing heavily in their own charging facilities, reducing dependence on the still-limited public charging network for heavy vehicles while maintaining control over energy costs.
Scale and Long-Term Contracts
Supermarket chains are large organizations with substantial purchasing power. They typically award multi-year transport contracts, providing logistics providers with the financial certainty needed to invest in electric trucks, which can cost two to three times as much as comparable diesel vehicles.
High annual mileage further strengthens the business case. Many supermarket trucks travel between 140,000 and 200,000 kilometers per year, allowing operators to recover the higher upfront investment more quickly.
Consumer Pressure and Brand Value
Food retailers are particularly sensitive to public opinion. Consumers interact with supermarkets daily and increasingly expect visible sustainability efforts. An electric truck delivering to a store is not just a logistics asset—it is also a powerful communication tool that reinforces a retailer’s environmental credentials.
Zero-Emission Zones Accelerate Change
Dutch cities, including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and The Hague, have introduced extensive zero-emission zones where only emission-free vehicles will be allowed in the coming years.
For supermarkets, waiting was not an option. Retailers that wish to continue supplying urban stores beyond 2030 must adapt their fleets. This regulatory pressure has accelerated investment decisions and encouraged earlier adoption of electric vehicles.
Transport as a Climate Lever
Transport represents approximately 19% of the food retail sector’s emissions, while most other emissions occur elsewhere in the value chain. Because supermarkets have relatively few direct sources of emissions under their control, freight transport has become one of the most visible and effective areas for reducing carbon emissions.
Who Is Leading?
Albert Heijn: The Operational Front-Runner
Albert Heijn currently operates around 180 electric trucks, more than 250 electric delivery vans, and over 270 charging points across ten charging hubs. Approximately 25% of its transport movements are already electric, and nearly 400 stores receive electric deliveries every day.
The company is also investing heavily in energy infrastructure, including charging facilities designed for future megawatt-charging technologies. Albert Heijn has further strengthened its transition strategy by reducing the number of transport partners from more than 25 to just four strategic logistics providers, enabling closer collaboration on charging, routing, and fleet investments.
Lidl: Ambitious and Scaling Rapidly
Lidl benefits from relatively short distances between distribution centers and stores, often less than 50 kilometers. This operational profile is particularly well-suited to battery-electric trucks.
The retailer already uses bio-LNG and HVO100 as transitional fuels while expanding its electric fleet through logistics partner Simon Loos. Lidl is also opening charging facilities to external carriers, helping accelerate electrification across the wider logistics ecosystem.
Jumbo: Moving Beyond Pilots
Jumbo was an early adopter, testing electric distribution trucks as early as 2018. The company is now moving into the scaling phase, with new electric Scania vehicles operating from distribution centers in Woerden and Veghel.
While Jumbo publishes fewer operational performance indicators than Albert Heijn, it has clearly progressed beyond experimentation and is actively expanding its electric fleet.
SPAR and Hoogvliet
SPAR relies heavily on the electrification efforts of logistics partner Simon Loos. One innovative solution involves an electric truck-and-trailer combination where the trailer is disconnected outside the city and the electric truck completes urban deliveries independently.
Hoogvliet has adopted a more gradual strategy. Operating a relatively small in-house fleet, it is steadily adding electric vehicles while maintaining strict financial discipline. Its distribution model, based on frequent returns to the depot, aligns particularly well with electric operations.
The Real Challenge: Moving from Pioneering to Mass Adoption
The technology is no longer the main obstacle. Electric trucks are available, operationally reliable, and increasingly competitive.
The remaining barriers are systemic:
- Grid congestion around distribution centers.
- The need for large-scale charging infrastructure.
- Transport pricing models often fail to reward sustainable investments.
- Coordination between retailers, logistics providers, energy companies, and policymakers.
Dutch supermarkets have demonstrated that large-scale electric trucking can work in practice. The next phase will depend less on vehicle technology and more on solving challenges related to energy supply, network capacity, financing, and supply chain collaboration.
In that respect, the food retail sector is not merely electrifying its fleet—it is building a blueprint for the broader decarbonization of road freight transport.
Walther Ploos van Amstel.