Grupo Lala Acquires 30 Fully-Electric, Refrigerated Trucks

Grupo Lala acquired 30 fully-electric refrigerated trucks for its last-mile delivery fleet. The 30 T45C model units, manufactured by EV maker BYD, will become the first 100-percent-electric refrigerated trucks in Mexico.

With the new acquisition, Grupo Lala plans to reduce its carbon footprint while improving its distribution. “Grupo Lala becomes the first company in Mexico to introduce 100-percent-electric refrigerated units,” said the company. With these units, the company plans to reduce its carbon footprint year after year.

BYD’s T45C have a range of up to 210 km and a load capacity of three tons. They incorporate regenerative brake technology and represent an approximate annual reduction of 11.7 tons of CO2 per unit. Using these units, Grupo Lala expects to produce 351 tons less CO2. In addition, the EV fleet will contribute to continuing the company’s participation in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources’ (SEMARNAT) "Clean Transportation, Excellent Environmental Performance" program.

Electrification is growing globally, but mainly among light vehicles. EV sales reached a record high in 2021, despite supply chain bottlenecks and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The total EV fleet on the road globally amounts to over 20 million and by 2030, it is expected to reach 300 million, accounting for 60 percent of new car sales, according to IEA.

However, the heavy vehicle segment is not adopting electrification at the same pace due to different factors, including those related with cost, vehicle autonomy and load capacity. While full-size, heavy-duty fleets are far from fully adopting electrification, companies like Grupo Lala have stated to build EV fleets for last-mile delivery purposes. “We believe that the urban segment, such as last-mile deliveries, will be the first to electrify due to the increased need for last mile deliveries and that our clients will have their own charging infrastructure,” said to MBN Frank Gundlach, Managing Director, Volkswagen Truck & Bus México.

Grupo Lala’s new EV fleet adds to its other 233 units with Euro 5 engine technology and its 732 hybrid units. The company expects to close 2022 with a total of 1,050 hybrid units. These vehicles circulate on the roads of Torreon, Queretaro, Veracruz, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City.