DHL Express in the UK have announced the company will roll out 270 new electric vehicles (EVs). These zero-emissions vans will be used for their last-mile deliveries in the UK.
This news follows the company’s introduction of 50 electric vans in the UK last year and is a stepping stone to reaching its goal of running an all-electric courier fleet in the UK and across its European deliveries by 2030.
DHL Express are employing Ford E-Transits that have a range of 140 miles (225km) and a payload of approximately 1000kg. This is similar to the diesel vans they are replacing with the pollution.
The new electric vans will service over 30 different cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton. DHL Express’ zero emissions vans will enter operation between May and September of this year.
DHL Express have also invested in its electric vehicle charging infrastructure network. Along with its standalone charging points across the Service Centre network, DHL now operates 10 fully-integrated electric vehicle sites. The company also plans to add 16 more throughout the year to allow for the growth of its electric delivery van fleet over the coming years.
Richard Crook, DHL Express Director of Fleet, said: “We’re thrilled to be sharing another update on our journey to a fully electric fleet. 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”.
This is positive news for the delivery industry but we feel that this is not before time, especially when other courier companies, like DPD, for example, have been pushing electric vehicles in their fleets for some time.
DPD UK plans to deliver low and zero emission vehicles to 25 of the UK’s largest towns and cities by 2025. The company also announced named Oxford as its first all-electric city using zero-emission vehicles for all deliveries.
Many companies have also been using and trialling Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) from the Oxfordshire-based sustainable zero-emissions vehicle manufacturer. These battery assisted vehicles have been used by DPD along with Asda, Ocado Spin and used by Oxford’s famous Covered Market.
It’s likely that last mile and inner city deliveries will be transformed in the coming years, especially with more clean air and zero emissions zones being rolled out in the towns and cities across the UK.
