DHL Express has announced the roll-out of 270 new electric vans, which will become part of its last-mile fleet.
The company has committed to having a 100% electric UK-wide courier fleet by 2030.
It follows the introduction last year of 50 electric vans. The 270 new vans will go live between May and September, operating out of more than 30 different locations, including London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton Liverpool, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
The zero emissions Ford E Transits have a range of 140 miles and a payload of approximately 1000kg, similar to the diesel vans they are replacing. The bodies have been customised for ease of use for drivers and to ensure continued high service levels. Drivers are provided with industry leading training to ensure they are familiar with the new vehicles and confident in their capabilities.
Operating at 4.25 tonnes, the vehicles can be driven with a standard Category B licence under the driving licence derogation rules for alternatively fuelled vehicles, enabling an equivalent payload to be carried as in their diesel equivalents despite the additional weight of the electric powertrain.
DHL has also been focussed on developing its infrastructure to support the EV roll-out and in addition to stand-alone charging points across the Service Centre network, now operates 10 fully integrated EV-ready sites, with an additional three opening this spring, and 13 more planned later this year. The integrated charging infrastructure is scalable to allow for additional electric vehicles as the fleet grows in the coming years.
Richard Crook, director of fleet at DHL Express, said: “We’re extremely proud of the progress made so far in reducing the environmental impact of our fleet, and this next stage of roll-out is a positive step towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050”.
Deutsche Post DHL Group has announced plans to have more than 80,000 e-vehicles on the road and 60% of last mile delivery electrified by 2030. DHL Express is working towards this goal in the UK with the intention that every new courier vehicle purchased will be electric, resulting in 100% of the UK-wide courier fleet being electric by 2030.
