DPD has pledged to more than triple its UK electric vehicle (EV) fleet by the end of next year as it called on government to do more to support operators.
The parcel carrier said it would now have 500 EVs on the road by the end of 2020, compared to 139 currently.
However, it said there were still “major barriers” holding back the adoption of EVs, as it outlined an eight-point action plan for electric vehicles in a whitepaper entitled “Delivering a Zero-Emission Future”. The plan is divided into separate points for national government, local government and manufacturers.
DPD called on the government’s Department for Transport to begin a discussion with the industry in order to establish regulations and guidance for electric cargo bicycles.
The company also said government should remove bureaucracy from the registration process of new alternative fuel vehicles, while adding that regulation had to keep up with the speed of new vehicle development.
In addition, DPD called on the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to open up its discount scheme to a wider range of vehicles.
The plan also asked for local authorities to work with final mile companies to help establish micro-depots and make clean air zone rules consistent.
Finally, DPD called on manufactures to increase the supply of 3.5 tonne EVs and continue to support innovations that will reduce emissions.
DPD CEO Dwain Macdonald said: “The decarbonisation of transport fleets is challenging, both operationally and financially. DPD has already made large financial commitments to purchase commercial electric vehicles and change operating models to help reduce emissions and congestion for the benefit of the society we live in.
“But it isn’t happening fast enough, so we need to remove the barriers that are slowing the pace of change. We want to invest but we can’t get the vehicles we need fast enough, while warehousing and distribution space is being pushed out of our city centres and there is limited financial support for new and innovation green vehicles.
“We cannot do this alone. We need stakeholders from across a range of industries to work together in a holistic way to create an infrastructure that makes large scale EV deployment feasible.
“Change is difficult and demanding, but emerging new technologies give the current generation of leaders and decision-makers the tools to lead a large-scale cultural change – we cannot kick this problem any further down the road.”
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