Royal Mail has announced the launch of the first delivery office to operate an all-electric fleet of collection and delivery vehicles.
A fleet of 23 fully electric vehicles has replaced the previous diesel collection and delivery vans at the company’s Bristol East central delivery office which is located in Bristol’s Easton area. Six double electric charging posts have also been installed on the site.
Bristol is the first delivery office to undergo the all-electric revamp but Royal Mail is planning to do similar across the UK, particularly in cities which, like Bristol, have plans for or already have existing Clean Air Zones.
The fully electric vans have a significantly (up to 60%) larger load space than the vehicles they have replaced, giving them additional capacity to deal with growing parcel volumes. They can travel up to 125 miles in between charges, depending on weather and load size and also have telemetry capabilities installed, aimed at encouraging more efficient driving techniques.
Simon Thompson, chief executive officer at Royal Mail, said: “It’s clear to me that customers increasingly want less environmentally impacting deliveries. And as a company, we believe it’s the right thing to do. This will help us assess the impact of these changes on both our customers and our people when compared to conventional delivery offices.”
