Ocado Zoom, the rapid grocery delivery service owned by Ocado Retail, has launched a trial of electric assisted and pedal-powered vehicles at its flagship site in Acton, West London. The trial started on 28th January and initial customer feedback has been very positive.
The vehicles involved include electric refrigerated vans, refrigerated EAVs (electric assisted vehicles) and pedal-powered cargo bikes which can travel up to 40 miles thanks to innovative refrigeration capabilities. This means that they can deliver more orders per trip taken. More drop offs during the same journey results in a more efficient delivery service and fewer vehicles on our roads.
Every delivery made in these new zero-emission vehicles replaces the need for the use of a petrol van, car or moped.
Ocado Zoom customers can choose from a range of 10,000 products including fresh food, baked goods, frozen items, everyday baby necessities, household items and much more. They can then choose whether they would like to receive their delivery ASAP or later that same day.
The fastest order on record is eight minutes, with an average delivery time of 40 minutes. Minimum order spend at Ocado Zoom is just £15 and delivery typically costs £2.99. The service, launched in 2019, has already proved immensely popular, especially during the pandemic.
George Dean, Head of Ocado Zoom, said, “We’re really excited to see a new generation of vehicles out on the road. We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and being the best neighbour we can, whilst delivering groceries to our customers as fast as possible. This trial is an important step in what I hope will be a rapid expansion of our non-emitting fleet”
As part of Ocado Retail’s expansion plans, Ocado Zoom will open several more sites around London by 2025, enabling more customers than ever to receive their groceries delivered within an hour. Electric vehicles used for ocado.com orders are also set to increase this year.
The trial is part of Ocado Retail’s target to become Net Zero by 2035. Ocado Retail also has a range of sustainability initiatives already in place, including its commitment to plant 100,000 trees in partnership with UK charity, Trees for Cities and a detailed roadmap to carbon reduction.