JD.com introduces hydrogen delivery trucks in Shanghai
Chinese online retail giant JD.com has begun using a fleet of hydrogen energy delivery trucks in Shanghai. The vehicles emit only purified water.
Using hydrogen tanks that take only three minutes to refill, the trucks can travel for 300km per tank while carrying up to 3.5 tons of cargo.
The move is part of JD’s ongoing efforts to make the ‘last mile’ of the distribution process carbon-free and follows the roll-out of 50 solar-powered delivery vehicles in Beijing.
“The strength of JD sustainable initiatives shows that a green approach to logistics is beneficial for the environment, and much more. By investing in these technologies and encouraging partners to do the same, JD hopes to promote green logistics across industries,” said Hui Wang, vice president of JD.com and head of the delivery department at JD Logistics.
He added: “These first forays into the world of renewable energy are the beginning of what will be a complete overhaul of the way we deliver goods to JD’s customers across the country on a daily basis. It’s a very exciting time.”
JD’s other initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its supply chain include the use of sustainable greener packaging within warehouses through partnerships with brands such as Lego, Nestle, Unilever, P&G, and Wyeth. JD is looking to reduce the number of boxes used throughout the supply chain by 10 billion by 2020.
The company is also aiming to make 80% of packaging materials recyclable and replace over 50% of plastic packages with biodegradable material.
Meanwhile, JD has installed a fully functional solar powered system on the roof of its Asia No.1 warehouse in Shanghai as it works towards operating the world’s largest solar powered infrastructure system by 2030.
