Supermarket giant Countdown is putting an electric home delivery truck to work in Auckland – the move marking the start of a planned fleet of them, servicing its growing online orders.
The light-duty refrigerated truck is the first of five Countdown Isuzu NLR 4x2s to be converted from diesel engines to battery electric power systems made by Australian-founded company SEA Electric.
And Countdown says it plans to convert and introduce more electric trucks into its fleet in the next couple of years.
The diesel-to-electric conversion programme for the first five etrucks is a partnership between SEA Electric and CAL Isuzu – the work carried out here and in Australia.
Countdown says it has spent almost $700,000 on the five trucks – supported by a $387,500 grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).
The supermarket operator says it is New Zealand's biggest online retailer, with a fleet of around 200 trucks delivering thousands of online orders daily, from its 180-store network. 
The Countdown etrucks are expected to be able to drive around 220 kilometres between battery charges.
The first truck, based at Countdown in St Johns, Auckland, will service customers in St Johns, Greenlane, Remuera, Stonefields and St Heliers. 
The next four of the SEA Electric-equipped Isuzus will be put to work in Grey Lynn (Auckland), Newtown in Wellington, Hornby in Christchurch and in Queenstown.
Countdown estimates that the five EVs will eliminate 350,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions annually.
Kiri Hannifin, Countdown's general manager corporate affairs, safety and sustainability, says reducing emissions is an important focus for Countdown… "as businesses and consumers become more aware of the climate crisis. 
"In the last three years we've reduced carbon emissions across our business by almost 15%. We believe that electric vehicles will play a really important part of NZ's lower energy future and by investing in electric delivery trucks we're not only generating fewer emissions, but also helping to futureproof our growing online business.
"Countdown's online shopping service is hugely popular and we always review, tweak and change how we operate to make sure we can provide as sustainable a service as possible. Having more energy-efficient trucks is a step in the right direction," says Hannifin.
Countdown says that the refrigeration units (including a separate freezer compartment) on the etrucks is a point of difference to other major retailers' home delivery vehicles – ensuring "food safety and quality, particularly in warmer weather.
"There are some additional complexities running refrigeration in an electric vehicle. However, given our commitment to move towards a low-carbon economy, this investment felt right."
Countdown also has an EV charging station at its support office and has launched 15 stations at five Hamilton supermarkets, offering free charging.