Electric Vehicles, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation
UPDATE! 8/7/2025
CORENA started this project back in 2021 but the arrival of the vans was delayed due to supply chain issues resulting from the war in Ukraine and battery manufacture delays which resulted in long wait times for electric vehicles in general. Electric vans are now much more readily available and CERES Fair Food are ready to re-commence this project!
CERES Fair Food delivers organic groceries to households across Melbourne, sourced from over 150 farmers and ethical grocery makers. They support regenerative farming practices and closed loop waste cycles, provide employment and career pathways for new migrants, and return 100% of profits to CERES environmental education programs.
With their warehouse already powered by rooftop solar, CERES Fair Food are looking to add an electric van to their food box delivery fleet bringing the social enterprise even closer to offering emissions free grocery delivery.
CERES Fair Food has owned one electric van for a couple of years now which was imported via the Good Car Co. Over this time they have refined how it is charged from solar at their warehouse and used in their operations. One major hurdle to adopting electric vans for food deliveries is their use is restricted to non perishable foods if they are not refrigerated. CERES Fair Food will fit out this van with a solar powered refrigeration unit. To date we are not aware of any other food delivery services using a refrigerated electric van and this will be a test case to see how it works in practice. CORENA has been approached by a number of food rescue and delivery services asking about refrigerated electric vans so we hope this will become an important case study for other not for profits doing similar work.
Website: https://www.ceresfairfood.org.au/
We are currently fundraising for this project.
Loan details
Loan amount: $85,060 (TBC)
Loan repayments: TBC
Status: Current project
Delivery date: TBC
Work details
LDV eDeliver Electric Van
Solar powered refrigeration unit
5kWh lithium battery with solar panels on the van roof
Separate 240v plug in
Cost: The CORENA loan will provide a loan for the full cost of the vehicle plus the cost of installing solar powered refrigeration equipment.
Expected savings: $7,800 per year in fuel costs
Reduction in carbon emissions/yr: Approx 5 tonnes/year
“Being able to access a CORENA loan represents a huge step forward for the delivery system at CERES Fair Food. This is the support CERES needs to be able to transition the delivery fleet away from fossil fuels while simultaneously upholding CERES values and place as a leader in sustainability in the community. We are so lucky to have a champion like CORENA to help us achieve our goals!”
Jesse Hull – Operations and Logistics Manager, CERES Fair Food