Coke Bottler in Sicily Puts 100 Electric Cars on the Road

If you're driving around Sicily, be sure to keep your eyes on the road. You might be distracted by a bright new fleet of 100 electric cars from Sibeg, the island’s Coca-Cola bottling partner since 1960.

Sibeg is showing how Coca-Cola is aiming to “green its supply chain” by becoming the company’s first bottling partner in Europe to equip sales executives with environmentally friendly electric vehicles. The bottler is also the first Italian company to provide its field team with all-electric cars.

The Green Mobility Project

Sibeg is reducing the environmental impact of its business in many ways, such as driving water-use efficiency, exploiting renewable energy sources and achieving an impressive 95 percent recycling rate. Cutting the carbon emissions of its sales fleet is a logical next step. This project – the first of its kind in the Coca-Cola system in Europe – will reduce CO₂ emissions by 330 tons per year.

This groundbreaking “Green Mobility Project” is not just about new cars. It also explores the wider issue of business “Ecomobility.” Sibeg, together with partners Citroën and Enel Energia, want to help create an “electric turning point” through wide-scale innovation that makes a real social and economic impact.

For example, the infrastructure required to support the project undertaken by Sibeg and Enel Energia will include a network of 57 charging stations installed at strategic points on Sicily’s road network. In addition to supporting Sibeg’s fleet, this investment will help make a new breed of mobility a more sustainable option for all Sicilians.

“We hope this project will encourage people to embrace alternative mobility solutions, helping to benefit the environment and making Sicily more beautiful and an even better region to live in," said Luca Busi, Sibeg CEO. "The Green Mobility Project will change the face of sustainable mobility in Sicily.”

Why Electric?

There are numerous benefits to switching to electric cars. Fossil fuels and their impact on air quality carry high social costs. Fossil fuels are also getting more expensive, while the cost of driving and insuring electric vehicles is falling. Sibeg and Coca-Cola are embracing this revolution in the business world, reducing the Coca-Cola system's impact on the environment through all points in the supply chain.