Royal Mail aims for a 3,000 EV fleet
Royal Mail has announced plans to add an additional 3,000 low-emission delivery vans to its fleet, in the same week that DPD placed an order for 750 fully electric vans.
Royal Mail currently operates some 300 electric vehicles (EVs), so the vision marks a ten-fold increase in the size of its electric fleet. The new vehicles – the first of which will enter operation this summer – will be added to existing delivery routes and depots will receive models with load capacities ranging from 3.7m3 to 6.3m3 depending on their needs.
All Royal Mail delivery offices will need to have EV charging points fitted as part of the plan. The firm has not confirmed where the first vehicles and chargers will be based but said in a statement that it is focusing on urban areas with ultra-low emission zones and green city plans. Cities with these requirements include London, Oxford, Glasgow, and Bristol, where Royal Mail already hosts 23 pure EVs.
A spokesperson for Royal Mail told edie that the company has not yet set a date by which to complete the rollout of the 3,000 new EVs. However, they expect most of the deliveries to come during this autumn and thereafter. The firm said in a statement that, aside from the emissions reduction and clean air benefits of EVs, the vehicles “also increasingly make more economic sense than diesel vehicles in the long-term”.
“Due to our feet on the street delivery model, we are the clear leader in low emissions per parcel in the UK, and electrification of our vehicle fleet will strengthen our advantage,” Royal Mail’s chief executive Simon Thompson said.
“We look forward to working with vehicle manufacturers and government to increase supply so we can accelerate our transition to EVs in the UK. It matters to our customers, and it matters to us.”
Royal Mail is notably exploring alternative fuels as well as EVs. Last month, it added 29 40-tonne biogas-powered trucks to its fleet. The firm is aiming to convert entirely to EVs and alternative fuels, phasing out petrol and diesel entirely, but has not set an target date.
