Coca-Cola Hellenic Česko a Slovensko has become a pioneer in the electrification of its vehicle fleet, currently using more than 30 battery-powered vehicles. The first ENYAQ was ordered by the company at the beginning of 2021 as part of the global GreenFleet project. The global brand has set an ambitious goal to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50% by 2030 compared to 2017.
“The experience with the first EV in the company exceeded expectations, and gradually people’s opinions on the possibility of electrifying the vehicle fleet changed. We gradually expanded the fleet. Today, for example, we have hybrid trucks in Prague and the surrounding area, we tested a purely electric truck for urban delivery there, and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the first sales representatives are driving electric cars as part of the sales motivation program. By the end of 2025, we plan for 40% of our fleet to be emission-free,” says fleet manager Martin Prídala.
Integrating EVs into the fleet also brought practical challenges, especially regarding charging infrastructure and accounting for charging costs. The company had to find solutions for charging stations at depots and drivers’ homes, ensure an overview of charging, and manage the allocation of private trips. The company sought a partner to comprehensively cover charging services through a large tender, inviting several strong players from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. “We chose a charging service provider who could take that extra step and meet all our requirements – from the condition that charging be carried out with unified authentication using a single card at private and public chargers, to having an overview of all related costs in one place, distinguishing between business and private charging, and ensuring that they provide a reliable and proven technical solution that is not demanding to maintain and can respond flexibly and promptly in case of problems,” evaluates the demanding international tender, the fleet manager of the beverage giant.
On the side of the charging service provider, which eventually became GreenWay Infrastructure, it was necessary to solve several client requirements individually and “turnkey.” Acquiring Coca-Cola, for example, meant that GreenWay expanded its business into another country, building its first charging stations in the Czech Republic after Slovakia and Poland. In 2023, there were 12 stations at the company’s headquarters in Prague, three more in Bratislava, and a charging station was also put into operation at one of the employees’ homes. The development of private charging infrastructure for Coca-Cola will continue in 2024 with the construction of another 40 AC stations and one DC fast charging station in Prague and four AC charging stations at the distribution warehouse near Triblavina.
ONE CARD, ONE PROGRAM, ONE INVOICE
“The biggest advantage, however, is the system through which all vehicle charging is authorized, recorded, and billed. All charges – whether carried out at a home charger, at the company’s headquarters, or at a public charging point – are accounted for by one supplier, who provides a clear online management system. As a fleet manager, I can get an immediate overview of costs, consumption, and driver habits. We use the data from the system for further analysis, such as identifying locations where charging infrastructure will need to be built in the future, its parameters, performance, and so on,” evaluates the cooperation with GreenWay Martin Prídala, adding: “The prepaid energy packages that drivers can use at any public charger are also advantageous – and since GreenWay does not have such stations in the Czech Republic, everything comes from prepaid kilowatts even within international roaming, which is available with almost all Czech charging service providers.”
One of the main reasons driving the company’s transformation of its vehicle fleet to electromobility is the positive feedback and experiences of employees: “Although there were really big concerns at the beginning and I even received questions about whether we had gone crazy, gradually even the biggest skeptics came to like electric vehicles.” Practical experiences have clearly shown that sales representatives, who are practically always on the road and count their mileage in thousands of kilometers, can actually drive electric vehicles. But not only them – the company also has Caddy Maxi vans in its fleet, in which technicians transport a complete mobile workshop for servicing machines and equipment at customer operations. In the first quarter of 2024, they successfully tested an electric truck for urban product distribution in Prague, with its charging provided at a private charger in the depot.
And when it comes to international experiences, what are the differences in using an electric vehicle in the Czech Republic and Slovakia? “In the Czech Republic, they can take advantage of several benefits, such as free parking in Prague or Liberec. We don’t pay for highway vignettes or road tax for electric vehicles,” lists Prídala the advantages of our western neighbors. While in our country the government has so far only committed to exploring ways to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles, in the Czech Republic subsidy programs are already in place, not only for the acquisition of the vehicle but also for the relevant charging infrastructure. Just for interest, the Czechs also waive highway fees for electric vehicles from abroad, you just need to register on the website edalnice.cz.
In 2024, Coca-Cola plans to expand its electric vehicle fleet to 80 vehicles and build dozens of additional charging stations. Even at this stage, it relies on the services of GreenWay.
The text was published in the 2024 Electromobility Yearbook.
