Why This Matters to Distributors: UNFI is pairing electric trucks with onsite solar generation and battery storage at its Gilroy, California, distribution center, using energy infrastructure as part of a broader effort to improve fleet efficiency and supply chain resilience.
United Natural Foods Inc. is expanding its use of electric trucks with a new fleet and energy infrastructure project at its Gilroy, California, distribution center.
The food distributor has started construction on infrastructure capable of charging as many as 30 electric trucks, which would make Gilroy home to UNFI’s largest electric vehicle fleet to date.
The project also includes a 1.5-megawatt onsite solar array and battery storage system. UNFI said the additions are expected to more than double the distribution center’s renewable energy generation capacity.
The Providence, Rhode Island-based distributor is integrating vehicle charging, solar generation and battery storage at the same facility rather than treating fleet electrification as a standalone transportation project. The company said the combination could help reduce exposure to changing energy costs while improving the reliability of its distribution operations.
The battery system will capture excess electricity generated by the solar array for use at other times, allowing UNFI to better manage demand on the electrical grid and the power requirements of its growing electric truck fleet.
“This project reflects how we’re continuing to strengthen our distribution network to better serve customers and suppliers, while building a more resilient and efficient supply chain,” Kevin Alavi, UNFI’s director of sustainable operations, said in a statement.
For food distributors, transportation is a critical operating expense and a major source of complexity. Large distribution networks depend on fleets that operate on tight delivery schedules, making vehicle availability, fuel, and energy costs, and charging infrastructure important considerations as companies evaluate electric trucks.
UNFI’s Gilroy project also shows how fleet investments increasingly are becoming part of broader distribution-center energy strategies. Onsite generation and battery storage can give operators greater control over when they draw electricity from the grid and how they manage periods of high energy demand.
The company is working with Trio, an energy and sustainability advisory firm; PowerFlex, which provides charging, solar and battery technology; and Zeem Solutions, which specializes in commercial electric fleets and charging infrastructure.
The California Energy Commission and Bay Area Air District also provided funding for the project. UNFI did not disclose the total cost of the investment or how much public funding it received.
The Gilroy project comes as distributors continue to invest in transportation, automation, and distribution-center technology to lower operating costs and improve the reliability of increasingly complex supply chains.
UNFI is one of North America’s largest grocery wholesalers, supplying conventional, natural, organic and specialty products to more than 30,000 customer locations in the U.S. and Canada.
For UNFI, the Gilroy investment puts fleet electrification alongside warehouse and energy infrastructure as another lever for improving distribution efficiency rather than simply an environmental initiative.
Do not miss any content from Distribution Strategy Group. Join our list.
Share this article:
