From red to green
Londoners will see some of our iconic red vans turn green this month, as 190 zero carbon emission, electric vans will be on the road delivering letters, parcels and cards across selected locations in the capital and surrounding areas.
Following the successful roll-out of 100 zero emission electric vans around the UK last year, we are expanding our electric fleet with the new vehicles, which have been wrapped a striking shade of green to mark the occasion.
The mix of Mercedes-Benz eVito and Peugeot Partner vans are charged via wall or floor mounted charging posts. They are specially designed to help colleagues deliver letters and parcels in a secure and environmentally-friendly way.
With load capacities ranging from 3.7m3 to 6.3m3, the vehicles will operate as part of usual delivery routes. They will be launched across selected locations in London and the South East including Whitechapel, Islington, Bexleyheath, Dartford and Orpington in Kent.
The expansion will complement our iconic existing red fleet of more than 41,500 vans, and forms part of our involvement in the Optimise Prime project, which aims to bring together leading power, technology, fleet and transport companies. Led by Hitachi Vantara and UK Power Networks, Optimise Prime is the world’s biggest electric vehicle demonstrator project, and brings together leading power, technology, fleet and transport companies - including SSEN, Uber and Centrica - to test and implement the best approaches to the EV rollout for commercial enterprises.
Fleet director, Paul Gatti, said: ‘We are committed to making changes to our operations that reduce our environmental impact, while ensuring we continue to meet customer expectations. This trial is part of a programme of initiatives across our business that will ensure we can continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.’
Nicole Thompson, director, Social Innovation & Co-creation Partnerships, Hitachi Vantara said: ‘The Optimise Prime consortium is delighted to see the first tranche of new commercial electric vehicles on the road. By sharing data and collaborating with this industry-led initiative, Royal Mail is helping us pave the way for the mass adoption of electric vehicles in the UK.’
