The decision has been made at Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen (NST): A fleet of trucks with bio-CNG propulsion is set to become the backbone of logistics in the future. The vehicles will likely be deployed from three locations to supply around 900 grocery markets in northern Bavaria, Thuringia, and eastern Germany. For Edeka, both existing filling stations will be expanded, and new stations will be built. The filling stations are operated by OG Clean Fuels, which also supplies the bio-CNG.
Start in Marktredwitz
The new logistics center in Marktredwitz is the first location where the bio-CNG fleet will be established. With five gas trucks, Edeka NST will start refueling at OG immediately. By the end of March 2025, six more vehicles will be delivered in Marktredwitz. The fleet is to be expanded to 25 vehicles by the end of 2025. As part of the replacement procurement, around 150 new CNG trucks are planned to be used in the entire Edeka logistics by 2030.
"With the switch from diesel to regenerative bio-CNG, we can massively reduce the CO2 emissions of our logistics. It is a key component in defossilizing our fresh logistics," emphasizes Edeka's transport management division manager, Alexander Tuks. The fleet manager further states: "We have reviewed the use of all alternative drives and have come to the conclusion that bio-CNG is the most sustainable drive for Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen."
Long Tours of up to 500 km Daily
The immediate reduction of CO2 emissions, the positive TCO considerations, and the possibility of using field-tested vehicles in an existing filling station network were reasons for the decision. Due to the large area of the sales region, tours of up to 500 km daily are comparatively long for food logistics. Already in 2022, Edeka decided to equip new acquisitions only with electric refrigeration, which also favored the use of CNG trucks.
About Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen (NST)
Edeka Nordbayern-Sachsen-Thüringen (NST), based in Rottendorf, is one of seven regional corporate groups within the Edeka network. It supplies approximately 900 retail markets in Franconia, Upper Palatinate, Saxony, Thuringia, and northern Baden-Württemberg, making it the largest local food supplier in the region. In 2023, Edeka NST achieved a consolidated turnover of 4.7 billion euros. The affiliated retail markets, along with the share in the participation of Edeka Foodservice, generated a combined turnover of more than 5.2 billion euros gross. This gives the group a market share of around 20% in the food retail sector within its sales area.
About OG Clean Fuels
OG Clean Fuels is the market leader in Germany for operating CNG filling stations. The company operates a nationwide network of stations in Germany and sells exclusively Bio-CNG produced from waste and residual materials. The OG truck core network stations are the backbone of the CNG infrastructure for interregional road freight transport along the main transport routes. A large portion of the total of over 150 OG filling stations in Germany are designed for refueling CNG trucks. Additionally, OG implements non-public as well as semi-public filling station networks nationwide for logistics customers and also supplies trucks with Bio-CNG.
