Today more than ever, if we think about driving transformation within the transport and logistics industry, active participation is essential. Especially as one of the leading companies in this sector it is in our responsibility to be at the forefront of discussions and initiatives and therefore actively contribute to a reduction of the greenhouse gas emission and promoting cleaner technologies and practices in the logistics industry.
With a historical trajectory of 60 years that supports us, Primafrio is a logistics operator leader in the international transport of fruits and vegetables from Iberia and Marocco to the 27 European countries, with a fleet of 2800 trucks. Our headquarters is in Murcia (Spain), where we have built a unique charging infrastructure with a total of 2,4MWp.
We are proud of the invitation from ECTA that has allowed us to join as a member in May 2023 having been the first Spanish company to join this initiative. This alliance recognises our commitment and responsibility to the environment and all the actions we push forward on sustainability, such as the incorporation of 15 100% electric vehicles into our fleet or our commitment to intermodality.
We are a world leader in this area thanks to our ESG model, which allows us to comply with the highest standards of environmental care and protection aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thus contributing to the decarbonisation of our sector, confirmed by the institution of Sustainalytics.
By being a member in ECTA, and operating our own ZE trucks, our organization gets a comprehensive analysis of real situations in the electro mobility and a better understanding for the challenges and difficulties we are confronted with, besides of staying ahead on evolving regulations and compliance requirements related to emissions reduction and environmental sustainability in the transportation sector.
In this regard, regulations force manufacturers to develop cleaner and more efficient technologies, which in turn reduces the production and maintenance costs of ZE CVs on a long term. Even though in initial investments in cleaner technologies may lead to higher upfront costs, they often result in long-term savings through reduced fuel consumption and much lower maintenance expenses. Lastly, the impact on corporate reputation: In our case, committing to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, gives us a competitive edge in the market, positioning us better, and enhances the company’s attractiveness towards customers, partners, and employees.
Our industry is working on the switch to ZE vehicles but there are limitations on the speediness of this transition influenced by the OEMs, their production lines and service stations for the ZE vehicles but more importantly, there are limitations caused also by the public sector due to a lack in the build-up of the infrastructure, preparing the grid and building public charging stations.
In our case, to avoid potential issues, we have built in record time a complete CV charging infrastructure at our HQ in Alhama de Murcia, which is currently also the most powerful in Spain on a private as well as public level within the transport sector and it serves as a model for the industry.
To incentivise the switch from combustion to ZE vehicles the regulatory framework is crucial. We believe, legislations are needed to drive innovative business models for CVs, such as long-term rental, infrastructure, and commoditization programs, among others. We firmly believe that decarbonization can only be achieved through a collaborative and joint effort between all involved in the value chain.
To prepare for the future we are building up our own infrastructure of charging stations in strategic locations. Next areas of operating our 100% electric trucks will be Madrid, followed by Valencia. With the opening of our installations in Belfort, France, we ensure future capabilities of refuelling and charging in central Europe, on one of our main routes to Germany, the Nordics, and eastern European countries.