CEO of Ampcontrol Discusses Rapid Electrification of Vehicles in Food & Beverage Industry Distribution Centers

Electric commercial vehicles are very important in the global fight against climate change. Additionally, these innovative vehicles are offering significant savings for business owners, due to far less maintenance needed as opposed to traditional diesel and regular gasoline vehicles. The electricity used to charge the vehicles costs much less than fuel.

In the food and beverage industry, fleet electrification is moving forward quickly, due to a variety of favorable factors, in addition to tremendous cost savings.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), road vehicles are the largest source of transport emissions and contribute significantly to overall greenhouse gas emissions.

While passenger vehicles account for a substantial portion of these emissions, commercial vehicles play a disproportionately larger role.

Globally, road transport accounts for about 70% of direct transport emissions. Freight transport, particularly heavy-duty trucks, is a rapidly growing contributor to road transport CO₂ emissions.

Within road transport, heavy-duty vehicles, despite being a smaller portion of the overall vehicle fleet (fewer than 8%), are responsible for over 35% of direct CO₂ emissions.

In the United States, medium and heavy-duty trucks are the second-largest source of transportation greenhouse gas emissions (23% in 2022), according to the EPA.

In the European Union, trucks and buses accounted for 28% of CO₂ emissions from road transport in 2021, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

Commercial vehicles contribute disproportionately to road-sector CO₂ emissions (~70%), despite being only 10% of the fleet. Electrifying them is one of the most urgent decarbonization strategies. With advancing tech, cost parity, and supportive policy, the momentum is building toward a cleaner freight future through electric trucking.

Electric Truck Sales Growing Fast Worldwide

In 2024, global electric truck sales surged nearly 80%, with over 90,000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold worldwide, according to IEA. China drove the majority of this growth, accounting for more than 80% of global electric truck sales in 2024.

Logistics giants like DHL, Amazon, and others are rapidly integrating electric delivery vehicles. DHL’s German fleet is nearly 48% electric, with plans to grow further.

The U.S. commercial electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing robust growth, driven by factors like government incentives, falling battery costs, and increasing awareness of sustainability. While still a relatively small portion of the overall commercial vehicle market, electric trucks and vans are seeing significant adoption, particularly in urban delivery and public transportation.

The market is projected to expand dramatically in the coming years, with forecasts indicating a substantial increase in both sales and market share.

The U.S. electric commercial vehicle market was valued at $13.88 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $55.92 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 26.41%, according to EV Design & Manufacturing.

While challenges remain, the trend toward electrification of commercial fleets is clear, with a growing number of businesses and policymakers recognizing the benefits of electric vehicles for both the environment and the bottom line. One industry that stands out as ideal for the electrification of its vehicles is the food and beverage industry.

Why Food and Beverage Distributors Are Leading the Electrification Charge

Grocery chains and food distributors are rapidly electrifying their fleets because their delivery patterns align perfectly with current EV capabilities, enabling efficient charging and high utilization. Electric trucks offer lower fuel and maintenance costs, quieter operation for night deliveries, and unrestricted access to low-emission and noise-restricted urban zones.

Coupled with government incentives that significantly offset purchase prices, these benefits help achieve cost parity with diesel while advancing sustainability goals, cutting transport-related emissions, and enhancing brand reputation.

Early adopters like Giant Food, Walmart, and Kroger are proving the model works, making electrification both a smart business move and a competitive advantage in the food and beverage sector.

EVinfo.net Interviews Joachim Lohse, CEO of Ampcontrol, About the Rapid Electrification of Vehicles in the Food & Beverage Industry Distribution Centers

This week, EVinfo.net had the great honor of speaking with Joachim Lohse, CEO of Ampcontrol, about the rapid electrification of vehicles in the food & beverage industry distribution centers.

Bill Pierce:

Why is the food and beverage sector, particularly grocery chains and retail distributors, moving so quickly toward electrification?

Joachim Lohse:

The food and beverage industry is one of the fastest-moving sectors when it comes to electrification, and for good reason. These companies operate vehicles on relatively short and predictable routes, typically between distribution centers and retail stores, or from vendors and wholesalers to distribution hubs. Many of these trips are well under 200-300 kilometers a day, which makes them ideal candidates for today’s electric truck technology.

Additionally, regulatory pressure is increasing. Several governments and cities are implementing low-emission zones or outright prohibiting combustion vehicles in certain areas. This has been particularly visible in places like the Netherlands and across the Nordics. For grocery chains, compliance isn’t optional; electrifying their fleets is a way to keep operations running smoothly while avoiding fees or penalties.

And lastly, there’s the brand perspective. These companies are highly consumer-facing, and sustainability is now a central part of their brand promise. Moving to electric fleets shows their customers that they’re serious about reducing emissions and contributing to a greener future.

Bill Pierce:

What role do last-mile delivery fleets play in this transition?

Joachim Lohse:

Last-mile delivery is a crucial part of the story. Many grocery chains now offer direct to consumer delivery services, relying on smaller vehicles like vans or compact electric trucks. These vehicles typically cover short routes with relatively low daily mileage — making them ideal candidates for full electrification.

We’re already seeing companies operate entirely electric last-mile fleets with no combustion vehicles at all. It’s a segment that has proven highly suited to electrification and is advancing rapidly.

A key factor is that electric delivery vans are now widely available, cost-effective, and cheaper to maintain. When factoring in reduced maintenance and lower electricity costs, their total cost of ownership is already lower than that of comparable diesel or gas vehicles.

Bill Pierce:

What are the main challenges F&B companies face when electrifying their distribution fleets?

Joachim Lohse:

The biggest challenge is infrastructure — particularly grid capacity. Many distribution centers and warehouses simply lack the electrical capacity to support large-scale charging for electric trucks.

Compounding this issue, these companies operate on thin margins and require extremely high operational efficiency to stay competitive. Any disruption to their supply chain introduces significant risk.

Securing a grid upgrade is often costly, time-consuming, and, in some cases, not feasible due to local limitations. As a result, companies need to think creatively about powering their electric fleets without relying solely on utility upgrades. Additionally, adapting supply chain operations to integrate vehicle charging is complex and, if handled incorrectly, can lead to costly downtime.

Bill Pierce:

How can these companies overcome these grid limitations?

Joachim Lohse:

This is where smart energy management and intelligent scheduling change the game. The most effective strategies combine several elements. First, integrating EV charging with on-site solar and/or battery storage allows companies to bypass grid constraints. Second, AI-driven scheduling will prioritize charging based on planned routes, departure times, and operational priorities. Thirdly, automated and interactive reservation and booking for 3PLs and other logistics partners will help coordinate trucks and charging sessions

Take a typical distribution center: on paper, it might require 10 DC fast chargers. But with intelligent charging that accounts for each vehicle’s route and downtime, the same site can support 20–30 trucks per day — effectively doubling or tripling utilization per charger.

We’re seeing many grocery chains and food & beverage distributors take this approach today. In my view, pairing smart energy management with optimized vehicle scheduling is the most reliable path to scaling electric fleets efficiently and without compromising operations.

Bill Pierce:

What role does AI play in this process?

Joachim Lohse:

AI is the glue that brings all these elements together. By integrating charging infrastructure with route planning and vendor management systems, it enables real-time decisions about when and how each vehicle charges.

This intelligent orchestration ensures fleets get the most out of limited chargers, reduce energy costs, and keep trucks ready exactly when needed. It’s a shift from rigid, pre-set schedules to dynamic, data-driven fleet and energy management — adapting to changing conditions on the fly.

When we started Ampcontrol, we thought that we would use algorithms for energy optimization. Now we use it everywhere and we don’t see any limitations. The majority of the decisions are made fully automatically with minimal human interaction.

Bill Pierce:

Looking ahead, what’s next for the electrification of F&B distribution networks?

Joachim Lohse:

I believe we’ll see rapid scaling of these integrated solutions: For food and beverage companies, electrification isn’t just about compliance; it’s about future-proofing their operations and aligning with their customers’ expectations for sustainability.

We’re still at the beginning of this journey, but the momentum is strong. The companies that move quickly and invest in intelligent energy and fleet management will gain a competitive advantage, that is for sure.

Bill Pierce:

What’s next for Ampcontrol?

Joachim Lohse:

We want people to be savvy about the industry and trends in electrification. This knowledge empowers them to make effective decisions when it comes to electrifying fleets and managing charging hubs. We’ve developed a series of events and webinars that bring significant value to the industry and our participants.

On September 30, we’re hosting the Ampcontrol EV Fleet Summit in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This event brings together Europe’s leading voices in fleet electrification, smart charging, energy infrastructure, and operations. Registration is free, and participants will take part in dynamic discussions, gain insights from industry leaders, and network in a highly engaging environment.

We also have a series of webinars lined up over the coming weeks. We invite you to explore our full list of upcoming events and register for those most relevant to your interests.

Upcoming events:
https://www.ampcontrol.io/webinars

Ampcontrol – Powering the Future of EV Fleet Charging with AI and Reliability

Ampcontrol delivers a cloud-based, AI-driven charging and energy management platform designed to seamlessly connect with any OCPP-compatible charger, vehicle telematics, and existing fleet systems, all via one integrated interface. Since its inception in 2019, the company has built a reputation for unparalleled reliability with industry-leading 99.995% charger uptime.

Comprehensive Tools for Smarter Charging

Energy & Charger Management: Ampcontrol’s platform uses real-time data and AI optimization to orchestrate charging sessions intelligently, enabling dynamic load balancing, cost optimization, and demand-response actions that can slash energy bills by up to 45%.

Fleet Insights & Diagnostics: Operators gain full visibility into their fleet’s performance, tracking GPS, state-of-charge, diagnostics, alerts, and hardware issues, backed by 24/7 monitoring and on-demand help desk and troubleshooting support.

On-Site Resilience with AmpEdge: Their AmpEdge controller ensures continued operations during connectivity disruptions, enabling load prioritization, microgrid management, and fallback autonomy.

Seamless API Integrations: Ampcontrol’s robust API makes it easy to integrate with TMS, TOS, telematics, utility systems, and energy meters—eliminating costly system overhauls.

Global Reach & Rapid Growth

Ampcontrol’s software is in active use across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Africa, deployed at scale in operations spanning rideshare fleets, heavy-duty trucking depots, school buses, transit systems, and more.

Customer Impact: Proven Results

Revel (New York rideshare): Reduced monthly energy costs by over 45%, all while maintaining on-time departures and operating the largest public fast-charging hub in North America.

WattEV (California EV trucks): Leveraged Ampcontrol’s AI tools to manage high peak-power demand and ensure fleet reliability for one of the largest EV truck operations in the U.S.

Aeversa (South Africa): Faced with unreliable grid conditions, Ampcontrol enabled resilient charging by integrating with backup battery systems and scheduling demand-response strategies to maintain operations through outages.

Ampcontrol: The Definitive Platform for EV Fleet Charging Management

With global deployments underway and spotlighted performance gains, Ampcontrol is positioning itself as the definitive platform for EV fleet charging management. Their latest capital infusion will fuel deeper AI capabilities, broader integrations (including V2G and LCFS carbon-credit pathways), and expanded uptime and cost-optimization features for fleets worldwide.

Why Ampcontrol Matters: As EV adoption accelerates across industries, Ampcontrol provides the intelligent backbone that enables fleets to stay efficient, reliable, and scalable, making electrification more operationally and financially viable than ever.