The electric milk truck on site. (Image credit: Mona Dairy)
A £20m cheese factory on Anglesey has unveiled an electric milk truck ahead of a major expansion.
Mona Dairy, which is a headline sponsor of this week’s Anglesey Show, has unveiled the UK’s first BEV (battery electric vehicle) tractor and trailer for milk haulage. This was in front of special guests including Ynys Mon MP Virginia Crosbie, and Mark Spencer, minister of state for food, farming and fisheries of UK.
The 25,000 sq ft factory on Mona Industrial Park opened this summer and is undergoing a multimillion-pound expansion.
Managing director Ronald Akkerman said the expansion will increase its capacity to eventually produce more than 30,000 tons of Welsh and continental cheese every year.
The company also has a focus on lowering the site’s carbon footprint still further, with the switch to electric vehicles for milk collection helping them on the road to achieving Net Zero status.
“We are proud to have been the first dairy in the UK to introduce the Volvo BEV HGV tractor and trailer combination, it’s the first step towards the complete decarbonisation of our transport,” said Akkerman.
Speaking on behalf of Volvo and dealership Thomas Hardie Commercials, key account manager David Hill said the truck has a range of 190 miles (300 km). It includes three electric motors, generating 666 HP and has six batteries, containing 540kWh of energy.
He added: “We are delighted to be involved in supplying an FM 4×2 fully electric tractor unit to Mona Dairy to demonstrate a net zero approach to the collection and transportation of milk from farms to the factory for cheese production.
“The vehicle will run for two weeks to prove the concept and results of the trial will enable Mona Dairy to confidently move forwards with the project.”
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