The first heavy-duty electric vehicle in Scotland has begun delivering whisky on a regular basis.
Chivas Brothers has started a two-year trial of moving casks from a warehouse in Beith to its bottling facility at Kilmalid, close to Dumbarton.
The truck will be able to travel the 50-mile roundtrip up to five times per day before requiring an overnight recharge.
Around 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide are anticipated to be saved annually by switching just one vehicle.
Other businesses, like Scottish Forestry, which transports timber, also have all-electric HGVs on the agenda for this year.
Chivas' production director, Gordon Buist, told BBC Scotland: "Transport is one of our major emissions, and we're always trying to look at new ways to go on our journey to net-zero. .
We now have the chance to test a fresh, cutting-edge strategy for electrifying our fleet. ".
Scotland's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change is domestic transportation.
According to the most recent Scottish government statistics for 2020, it was in charge of 24% of all emissions.
Although heavy duty trucks and buses account for about 20% of transportation emissions, cars account for the majority of them.
Although there are obstacles to long-distance haulage electrification, businesses are increasingly looking into the possibility for shorter trips. .
According to Martin Brown, managing director of McPherson's Transport of Aberlour, who is operating the Chivas Brothers lorry, there has been significant interest from other businesses looking to lower their carbon footprints.
The infrastructure required to support these vehicles on the road and to increase their range, he continued, "has to be put in place.
There needs to be a lot of attention paid to that.
"We've taken the big, brave step of putting this vehicle on the road, but because there is nothing to recharge it while it is on the road, it has a fairly limited range. ".
Approximately 24 tonnes of full whisky casks will be transported by HGV on the initial leg of its journey before returning to the bottling facility with empty casks.
The pilot project will examine the vehicle's operating safety as well as its range and charging time.
Similar vehicles will be introduced by Scottish Forestry later this year to transport lumber from a sawmill in Lockerbie to a national distribution center in Hangingshaws, which is a few miles away.
"We see battery-electric taking up a large space in the urban and regional distribution sector," Volvo Trucks Scotland's Neil Park said. We require different options when traveling over longer distances.
"I believe that once people observe the trucks in action and not just on paper, they will quickly gain confidence that these things can work for them and the technology will fit into their business.
. "
