Royal Mail Reaches Milestone With More Than 3,000 Electric Vans in Its Mail Delivery Fleet

Royal Mail reached a milestone as it operates more than 3,000 electric vehicles in its delivery and collection fleet across the UK, the company said today.

This rollout covers many cities with low emission zones, including London, Bristol, Glasgow, Cambridge, and Oxford.

The 3,000th electric vehicle was deployed at Peterborough Delivery Office, which currently uses 106 vehicles for its delivery and collection functions operated by a fully electric fleet.

Royal Mail CEO, Simon Thompson and MP for Peterborough, Paul Bristow visited the Peterborough Delivery Office to celebrate the deployment of the 3,000th electric delivery van in the Royal Mail fleet.

“I loved driving this electric vehicle today at the Royal Mail Delivery Office and Mail Centre in Werrington. It’s important the Royal Mail invest in electric vehicles as they are better for their staff as well as the environment,” said Paul Bristow, MP for Peterborough.

Over 70 delivery offices across the UK have shifted to using at least some electric vehicles for delivery and collection.

The first site to switch over to an all-electric fleet was Bristol in June 2021, and this month, Letchworth became the latest site to start its journey to transition to electric vehicles.

“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 50 gCO2e, about the same as having a cup of tea with milk.”

Simon Thompson, CEO, Royal Mail

“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,” Thompson added.

Royal Mail To Deploy at Least 2,000 More Electric Vehicles by Spring 2023

Royal Mail also announced it has a deal to add 2,000 additional electric Peugeot vehicles to its fleet, consisting of 1,000 Peugeot Partner and 1,000 Peugeot Expert models.

These additional vehicles will be delivered to the business starting in August as part of its plans to have 5,500 EVs operating across the UK by Spring 2023.

Peugeot UK Managing Director, Julie David, said: “Peugeot began its relationship with Royal Mail in 2009 and I am incredibly pleased that we can continue this support with models from our award-winning electric van range.”

“With every van in our range already benefitting from an electric version and every car offering an electrified variant by 2024, we look forward to continuing our support of the Royal Mail and its ambition for a greener future,” David added.

This expansion of alternative fuel vehicles demonstrates how Royal Mail is committed to reducing emissions associated with its operations.

Royal Mail says it already has the lowest reported CO2e emissions per parcel amongst major UK delivery companies.

This is supported by its unique, “Feet on the Street” network of over 90,000 postmen and women that are delivering parcels by foot or through a park and loop method.

This method combines low mileage van movements and on-foot deliveries, keeping emissions low.

In addition, the deployed electric delivery vans have a 38% larger load space and are able to travel up to 130 miles in-between charges, depending on vehicle type, weather and load size.

And Royal Mail says with lower maintenance requirements, the electric fleet promises more on-road time and higher levels of reliability.

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