Distribution Industry Targeting Value Consumption... Expansion of Electric Vehicle Delivery

Lotte Super, Nationwide 100 Units Plan
SSG.com, Over 100 Charging Stations at 'Neo003' Facility

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The distribution industry is accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles for delivery trucks. The strategy is to enhance corporate image by emphasizing eco-friendliness and to attract consumers who value ethical consumption.

On the 28th, Lotte Super is currently operating about 70 electric vehicles as delivery trucks at some stores in the metropolitan area and provinces. They plan to expand the operation of eco-friendly electric vehicles to all stores nationwide by the end of this year, increasing the number to 100. The introduction of electric vehicles has many positive effects from an environmental protection perspective. In the case of Lotte Super, they operate more than 400 online delivery vehicles annually, with an annual travel distance of about 10 million kilometers. Replacing these with ultra-compact electric vehicles is expected to reduce gasoline consumption by about 1 million liters annually. Additionally, Lotte Super’s online delivery distance is 2 km, which is shorter than that of large supermarkets, and involves a lot of travel through narrow alleys. Therefore, replacing delivery vehicles that travel throughout the city with ultra-compact eco-friendly electric vehicles can deliver about 30% faster than using regular vehicles. These vehicles have a speed limit of 60-70 km/h, which can also prevent safety accidents involving the elderly and vulnerable when delivery vehicles move around the city.

SSG.com has established and is operating a charging facility at ‘Neo003’ in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi Province, capable of fully charging about 100 vehicles per day. About 90 electric vehicles are deployed for SSG Delivery and dawn delivery services. In the future, they plan to continuously expand eco-friendly cold chain delivery vehicles through consultations with Hyundai Glovis. Earlier, in November 2020, SSG.com signed a business agreement with Hyundai Glovis to establish an environmental refrigerated electric vehicle delivery service.

Hyundai Home Shopping is deploying electric vehicles for same-day delivery services. The same-day delivery service delivers orders placed before 1 p.m. on weekdays to all areas of Seoul and Seongnam City by 10 p.m. on the same day. Currently, 30% of same-day delivery vehicles are electric vehicles, and they plan to expand this to over 60% within the first half of this year.

A distribution industry official said, "We are introducing and operating eco-friendly electric vehicles to become an environmentally friendly company," adding, "We plan to continue offering various delivery services tailored to customer demand."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.