IKEA Australia has announced a $4.5 million investment in EV charging infrastructure for delivery drivers at all of its stores across the country, with JET Charge set to complete installation by the end of 2024.
IKEA is partnering with JET Charge to install chargers for six vehicles at each of its ten stores around Australia, plus charging for 28 vehicles at its Central Distribution Centre warehouse in Sydney’s Marsden Park, providing drivers with accessible, low-cost charging for a range of delivery EVs.
The Swedish homewares company uses ‘delivery partners’, each with their own network of truck and van drivers, and this investment aims to support partners with access to low-cost charging infrastructure for their fleet.
Chargers will include a mix of AC and DC options to cater to the different needs of IKEA delivery partners’ trucks and vans, with 22kW and 20kW for overnight charging, and 75kW and 150kW for fast charging, as well as the JET Charge CORE energy management system which allows energy to be intelligently controlled within the site.
IKEA Australia says it hit a new milestone in May this year, with 40 per cent of truck deliveries to customers now made using a zero emission vehicle.
“We have made exciting progress with electrifying our fleet, especially in the last 12 months, but we know a significant barrier for our delivery partners being able to make the switch to an electric vehicle is limited access to charging infrastructure,” IKEA Australia Zero Emissions Delivery Lead, Alexandra Kelly said.
“By investing in a national network of dedicated chargers for electric trucks and vans at all IKEA sites, we are providing access to electric charging at the point of fulfilment where orders are being picked up.
“Supporting our delivery partners to electrify sees us move closer to our overall goal of 100 per cent zero emissions truck deliveries at IKEA Australia but, more importantly, we believe it can also help drive further positive change we want to see in the industry as an investment in the future of last mile delivery.”
