Royal Mail adds 87 electric vehicles to London fleet

Royal Mail is adding 87 electric vehicles and new charging infrastructure to one of its largest London distribution hubs.

The additions to the fleet include Mercedes-Benz eVito and Peugeot Partner vans, which have load capacities ranging from 3.7 to 6.3 cubic metres.

The vehicles will operate from Royal Mail’s distribution centre at Mount Pleasant, where the postal giant is adding new wall and floor charing posts.

The new vehicles are set to roll out over the next two months.

Paul Gatti, Royal Mail fleet director said: “As a Company, we are committed to making changes to our operations that reduce our environmental impact, while ensuring we continue to meet customer expectations.

“We are delighted that we can expand our fleet in London with more electric vehicles. This will allow the business to continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and in the most environmentally friendly way possible as we continue to shift to low emission technologies.”

The company is a participant in Optimise Prime, an electric vehicle project funded by the UK’s energy regulator and led by Hitachi Vantara and UK Power Networks. It brings together private sector companies to test approaches to rolling out electric vehicles. Royal Mail’s total fleet numbers over 41,500.

In July, Royal Mail nearly trebled its fleet of electric vans, adding 190 electric vans to its current 100, with the new additions serving London and the South-East.