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Thursday December 6th 2007

PC World launches mouse-shaped lorries in green initiative

Archived article dated Thursday December 6th 2007

PC World has designed a new delivery lorry shaped like a computer mouse in order to cut fuel consumption.

A fleet of 75 lorries will be launched early in 2008 to deliver stock to PC World's 167 stores in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The retailer claims the new shape of the lorries makes them more aerodynamic and therefore more environmentally friendly - as well as being extremely eye-catching.

The more serious side of the project is that the new lorries mean each journey can be carried out using ten percent less fuel even though they provide ten percent more storage capacity, thus creating a twenty-percent improvement in overall fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

“I'm very pleased that we're able to use the state of the art RoadMouse to deliver stock to our stores,” said Keith Jones, managing director of PC World. “The aerodynamic shape is much more efficient and, being mouse-shaped, it is also a great reminder of the technology that we provide.”

PC World's initiative is part of a growing trend for major retailers to examine their supply chains to see if they can be more environmentally friendly. For example, Tesco has recently been trialling vans that are completely emission free at its environmental store in Shrewsbury and expects these to hit the streets of London very soon.

“They will be in London by the end of the year,” said Catherine Hutt, a spokesperson for Modec, who make the vans for Tesco. “They should be rolled out nationwide shortly after that. It's not totally signed, sealed and delivered yet, but plans and projects are in place.”

The vans are battery powered and Tesco claims they save 21 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of driving 51,000 miles in a car. The supermarket chain has currently bought 15 of the vehicles, though this is set to rise drastically in the next twelve months.

The initiative won Tesco a “green Oscar,” at the “Grand Prix” OnLine Green Awards (OLGAs) for being the first company in the UK to run a fleet of environmentally friendly delivery vehicles and it seems other retailers aside from PC World may soon be following suit. Hutt said Modec are in negotiations with several other retailers so even more green vans and lorries look likely to hit the roads in 2008.

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