What's cooler than ice cream? Well, if Ben & Jerry's has anything to do with it, the answer may be: Our entire planet.
The famous ice cream company has partnered with electric vehicle automaker Rivian to produce two fully electric "scoop trucks" that will bring sweet treats across the United States. Rivian debuted the truck in March at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
"Rivian helped Ben & Jerry's reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in a small way, while making things a little bit cooler … which, as an ice cream company, is extremely difficult to do," Ben & Jerry's Sean Slattery said in a statement.
The scoop trucks are built on Rivian's Commercial Van, which features a range of roughly 160 miles and features like 360-degree cameras and microclimate seats. It's the same base vehicle that Amazon has spent more than $1 billion on for tens of thousands of electric delivery vans.
Making a step toward sustainability isn't anything new for Ben & Jerry's. The company vigilantly tracks its carbon footprint and has vowed to use 100% renewable energy in its facilities by this year while reducing its emissions intensity by 80% by 2050.
Its Caring Dairy program, in which it partners with local farms to lower air pollution, has already lowered its carbon pollution. And it even ran a pilot program to feed dairy cows red seaweed, which can drastically reduce the amount of heat-trapping methane from bovine burps.
Switching its scoop trucks from internal-combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles will certainly make a difference.
A 2024 Bloomberg study found that, in every scenario they tested, EVs were significantly better for the environment than ICE vehicles. Exactly how much better depended on factors such as how far they were driven and where they were charged, but on average, EVs had carbon pollution anywhere from 27% to 71% less than equivalent ICE vehicles.
Research has even shown that, if all new vehicles sold by 2035 were fully electric, children could have almost 3 million fewer asthma attacks each year, and significantly fewer respiratory issues.
Here's guessing that those healthier kids would enjoy some ice cream — preferably from an all-electric truck.
TCD Picks » Moms Clean Air Force
💡 Join a group of concerned mothers, fathers, and caregivers by signing petitions to fight for children's health
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
