Making sustainable mobility a reality: the first heavy-duty electric truck for transporting products in Slovenia

Whether commuting to work on foot, by scooter, bike, carpooling or using public transportation, Krka employees demonstrate time and time again that we are committed to the principles of sustainable mobility, yet our care for the environment does not end there – in fact, we make sure that environmental protection is implemented in all work processes at Krka. Our latest acquisition – and the first of its kind in Slovenia – is a clear indication of this principle: an electric truck for heavier loads used to transport products.

With this important addition to Krka’s car fleet of electric vehicles, we are setting a new standard and further implementing our sustainable mobility policy. This is the first electric vehicle of its kind – weighing more than 12 tons with cargo – in Slovenia. The truck will be used to transport products in Slovenia, using electric energy to fuel the vehicle and maintain a strict temperature regimen of the cargo area.

Andrej Lukan, Deputy Director of Supply Chain in charge of logistics, had this to say: “This electric truck is our first step towards using environmentally-friendly heavy-duty transport vehicles. Krka has demonstrated once again that it is an environmentally-conscious company introducing modern technologies in the field of logistics. We are the first end-user in Slovenia to register a heavy-duty electric truck for product transportation. This vehicle will help us maintain our environment and hopefully spur other Slovenian companies to follow suit. Our future development will be focused on cutting-edge technologies and environmentally-friendly vehicles capable of delivering large cargo over greater distances.”

The newly acquired truck will be operated by Štefan Hočevar, who had this to say after the test drive: I’m happy that Krka acquired its first heavy-duty electric vehicle in Slovenia, and I’m deeply honoured that I’ll be the one behind the wheel. This is an environmentally-friendly vehicle that is pleasant and easy to use, causing less noise in traffic than normal.”

In a year the electric truck is expected to:

• Cover more than 50 thousand kilometres, which is more than the circumference of the Earth (approximately 40 thousand kilometres). A single charge will suffice for about 300 kilometres;
• Compared to a fossil fuel truck of the same category, it will save more than 40 tons of CO_2, which would require planting 2,600 trees to cancel out the negative impact;
• Save more than 15,000 litres of fuel. This is the average amount of fuel used by 10 cars in Slovenia per year.

The future belongs to sustainability

This acquisition is another step in the long line of Krka’s commitment to sustainable development. Krka purchased its first electric car in 2010. In 2024, the proportion of personal and transport vehicles that run on renewable sources is expected to exceed 10%. In the future we intend to closely monitor the advancements in environmentally-friendly vehicles and keep expanding our car fleet. We will expand our electric charging network – which can also be used by visitors – with a quick charging station in Novo mesto able to charge six times faster – an electric truck will thus be fully charged in just three hours. 

An increasing number of Krka personnel is following our sustainability principles, commuting to work on foot, by bike, carpooling or using public transportation. Last year we set up a modern bike shed with 128 spaces in Ločna, and another one at the northern entrance of the factory with 50 spaces. Bike sheds are conveniently located at all Krka sites throughout Slovenia.