Chemicals supplier Wibax continues their aggressive push for electrification. In order to reach the goal of a 100 electric vehicle fleet by 2030, the focus is to build charging infrastructure and plan for production of the electricity that they need.
About a year and a half ago, Wibax presented its new, ambitious environmental goals – a 100 percent fossil-free electric vehicle fleet powered by 100 percent self-produced electricity. Then, as now, part of the challenge lies in the fact that Wibax is simply ahead of the market. When the first electric 64-tonne truck started delivering chemicals to Wibax customers in 2022, it was the first truly heavy and ADR-approved truck in the world.
“It is no exaggeration to say that we are the ones paving the way in the industry. We are waiting for new vehicles and have four on the way. We have an ongoing and in-depth strategic partnership with vehicle manufacturers, and the first vehicles leaving some of the production lines are ours,” says Magnus Sundström, Operations Manager for Logistics at Wibax.
While waiting for the new vehicles, Wibax is full focused is on the charging infrastructure that will enable Wibax truck drivers to efficiently charge during loading and unloading. In addition to fixed charging stations at all Wibax depots, the first mobile charging station, WiCharge, was launched at a customer location last year. In January this year, the first fixed charging station was also installed at a customer location.
A very important aspect for us is not to further burden the Swedish power grid
“A very important aspect for us is not to further burden the Swedish power grid. Therefore, the goal of becoming self-sufficient in electricity is equally important,” says Magnus Wikman, CEO of the newly established Wibax Energy, whose task is to provide charging infrastructure as well as produce and supply the group with sustainable electricity from its own renewable energy sources.
The next step on the journey is four new electric trucks in the second half of 2024. One will be placed in Finland, the rest in Sweden. An additional 16 fixed charging stations are also planned for 2024-2025, with the majority being installed at customer sites.
“We are constantly trying to do what we can to speed up the processes, partly through collaboration with vehicle manufacturers. We also welcome the Swedish Energy Agency’s simplified grant process. In the long term, what we are doing now is the best sustainable choice both environmentally and economically,” says Magnus Sundström.
