The Milk-E tanker was named by Fonterra supplier Stephen Todd from Murchison, and is part of the co-op’s work to move towards a more sustainable fleet.
Chief operating officer Fraser Whineray said they were constantly looking at how to decrease emissions from farms, processing sites and throughout the transport network.
He said a lot of creative thinking and Kiwi ingenuity had brought the tanker to life at the Morrinsville workshop.
Changes to the battery configuration will be followed by trials to improve the efficiency of collecting milk, reduce safety concerns and lower the amount of work needed to customise a tanker.
A battery swap system is being installed at the Waitoa site where the tanker will be based to trial how this could work with a fleet and minimise downtime from battery charging.
Mr Whineray said having the tanker operating at the site was fitting as it had New Zealand’s largest fleet of electric milk trucks 100 years ago.
"It’s been great to see the team turn challenges into opportunities so in addition to trialling Milk-E’s on-road ability, we’re also trialling a new electric pump, hose configuration and cabinetry," he said.
Fonterra received some funding from the Government’s Low Emissions Transport Fund for the project.
