Royal Mail has announced that is has deployed 3,000 electric vehicles (EVs) across its delivery and collection network.
The roll-out includes many cities with low emission zones, such as London, Bristol, Glasgow, Cambridge and Oxford.
The 3,000th EV was deployed at Peterborough Delivery Office, which currently has 106 vehicles on site and operates an all-electric fleet.
So far, 70 delivery offices across the country run either fully or partially electrified fleets. Royal Mail’s first fully electric fleet was announced in Bristol in June 2021.
Simon Thompson, CEO at Royal Mail, said: “Environment is the next battleground for businesses, and we are determined to lead.
“We already have the lowest emissions per parcel and have set an ambitious target to reduce to 50g carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), about the same as having a cup of tea with milk.
“The transition to electric vehicles is a key part of our strategy to reduce our emissions whilst delivering a seven-day parcel service to our customers.
“We now merchandise the emissions per parcel for every delivery on the Royal Mail App, so customers can understand the impact of their order on the planet.
“As a business we are leading the change to achieving a more sustainable future for our fleet and our planet – with our colleagues on the frontline championing the vehicles and the move to an all-electric fleet.”
The company has partnered with car manufacturer Peugeot for a further 2,000 EVs. The fleet will include 1,000 Peugeot Partner and 1,000 Peugeot Expert models. The delivery firm intends to have 5,500 EVs running across its network by spring 2023.
Royal Mail claims that, with lower maintenance requirements, EV fleets provide more on-road time and improved reliability. They can reportedly travel up to 130 miles (209km) on a single charge, depending on vehicle type, weather and load size.
