NRC member WM New Zealand (formerly Waste Management) has built up a fleet of 55 electric trucks, slashing its diesel consumption and reducing carbon emissions.
Every year WM New Zealand collects over 1,000,000 tonnes of waste and recycles well over 200,000 tonnes of materials. The company has over 900 trucks and 15 materials recovery facilities across New Zealand.
WM New Zealand’s electrification journey began in 2016 with a pilot programme to convert diesel trucks to electric vehicles. This initial trial proved successful, leading it to establish a dedicated EV conversion workshop in East Tamaki, Auckland, in 2018.
By the end of 2024, the fleet had grown to 55 electric trucks and the company closed off the year celebrating over two million electric truck kilometres travelled. The electrification programme will be accelerated by its partnership with Volvo, which now allows it to purchase electric trucks directly from the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).
WM New Zealand’s truck fleet consumes over 10 million litres of diesel annually. The potential impact of electrification was staggering – each electric truck could save an average of 125 litres of diesel per day, with a complete fleet conversion potentially saving 100,000 litres daily. This represented not just substantial financial savings, but a massive reduction in carbon emissions, preventing about 1,412 tonnes of CO2e emissions entering the atmosphere.
Read more about how WM New Zealand is managing its conversion to electric trucks here: WM New Zealand | A Toitū Carbon Reduce organisation case study
