Clicks Group is accelerating the electrification of its South African logistics operations, with 30 heavy-duty electric trucks set to enter service as the retailer expands charging infrastructure across its distribution and store network.
The health and beauty retailer has partnered with electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure provider Zimi to deploy charging equipment across all 10 Clicks distribution centres and 24 retail stores nationwide. Clicks has secured 30 SANY heavy-duty electric trucks, with 16 allocated to Cape Town and another 14 to Centurion. The vehicles are expected to be introduced by October.
READ: Volvo’s electric truck range wins International Truck of the Year 2027
The company’s Montague Gardens distribution centre in Cape Town is expected to operate an entirely electric truck fleet by the end of October. Clicks and Zimi say this would make it the first retail distribution centre in Africa to operate a 100% electric truck fleet.
Charging infrastructure is being integrated with Clicks’ existing solar microgrids and third-party logistics operations. The system will allow trucks to recharge while cargo is being loaded or offloaded at distribution bays, an approach intended to reduce the downtime normally associated with charging commercial electric vehicles.
Zimi is also providing a central software platform through which Clicks and its logistics partners can monitor vehicle performance, driver data and charger availability.
The companies argue that combining solar generation with managed charging could reduce energy costs per kilometre, although actual savings will depend on factors including electricity prices, vehicle utilisation, routes and charging patterns.
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Clicks CEO Bertina Engelbrecht said fleet electrification formed part of broader investments in renewable energy, electricity wheeling and battery storage.
“As we grow, access to cleaner energy becomes increasingly important,” Engelbrecht said, adding that the investments were intended to reduce the group’s environmental impact while improving operational resilience.
The initial rollout is only the beginning of Clicks’ electric logistics plans. The retailer is targeting 68 electric trucks by the end of 2027, which it says would represent about 62% of its current truck fleet. That is ahead of its previous target for electric vehicles to account for 30% of the fleet by the end of 2029.
Expansion into KwaZulu-Natal is planned by September next year. Clicks estimates that the first 30 electric trucks could collectively eliminate the consumption of approximately 780,000 litres of diesel annually and avoid around 2,000 tonnes of tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions. The figures are company estimates and refer specifically to tailpipe emissions rather than the trucks’ complete lifecycle carbon footprint, which would also depend on factors such as electricity generation and vehicle and battery production.
The project comes as South African fleet operators increasingly explore electrification in commercial transport, where predictable routes and depot-based charging can make electric vehicles more practical than in some long-distance applications.
- Clicks Group is accelerating the electrification of its South African logistics operations, with 30 heavy-duty electric trucks set to enter service as the retailer expands charging infrastructure across its distribution and store network.
- The health and beauty retailer has partnered with electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure provider Zimi to deploy charging equipment across all 10 Clicks distribution centres and 24 retail stores nationwide.
- Clicks has secured 30 SANY heavy-duty electric trucks, with 16 allocated to Cape Town and another 14 to Centurion.
- The vehicles are expected to be introduced by October.
- READ: Volvo’s electric truck range wins International Truck of the Year 2027 The company’s Montague Gardens distribution centre in Cape Town is expected to operate an entirely electric truck fleet by the end of October.
