Royal Mail boosts electric vehicle fleet with PEUGEOT

PEUGEOT’s ongoing long-term partnership with Royal Mail continues to go from strength to strength with a deal to supply 2,100 electric vans, including over 1,000 British-built E-PARTNERs. The vans, which will hit the streets this week, are the first of Royal Mail’s electric vehicles to bear the cypher of King Charles III.

PEUGEOT has been appointed to supply Royal Mail’s latest tranche of electric vans, which the company announced in July would be added to the fleet in time for the festive peak.

Among the 2,100 electric vehicles supplied in this latest deal are 1,100 E-PARTNER vans built at Ellesmere Port, the UK’s first EV-only volume manufacturing plant. PEUGEOT, alongside its sister Stellantis brands, is the only brand to manufacture electric vans in volume in the UK. The brand is also supplying 1,000 fully electric E-EXPERT vans as part of the deal.

PEUGEOT has supplied Royal Mail with vehicles since 2009, and electric vans since 2014 when PEUGEOT delivered the first E-PARTNER to Royal Mail.

PEUGEOT and Royal Mail are both committed to electrification, and the latest supply of PEUGEOT vehicles to Royal Mail forms part of the latter’s plans to achieve Net-Zero by 2040. Royal Mail estimates that the new vehicles supplied by PEUGEOT will reduce total emissions by around 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year when fully operational. PEUGEOT is at the forefront of electrification in the UK and is committed to becoming the EV leader among mainstream manufacturers in Europe. PEUGEOT already offers a complete range of 12 all-electric models, including three fully electric LCVs – the most extensive line-up of any mainstream European brand.

The new PEUGEOT vans will be charged on-site at Royal Mail’s delivery offices via the company’s 100% renewable electricity supply. Royal Mail plans to deploy more than half of its new PEUGEOT electric vans in time for the Christmas ‘peak period’ to provide excellent service and greener deliveries to customers during the busiest time of the year.

The electrification of vans is an important part of Royal Mail’s strategy to lower carbon emissions from its vehicles. Royal Mail has also introduced hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to fuel many of its heavy goods vehicle fleet, which is a renewable alternative to diesel that produces up to 90 per cent less direct carbon emissions compared to diesel. The fuel was introduced in June 2023 and has already saved more than 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Image: PEUGEOT

PEUGEOT is the UK’s best-selling electric van brand so far this year, with its share of the electric LCV market increasing to 19.5% year-to-date as of September 2024. The new E-PARTNER has contributed to PEUGEOT’s e-LCV success as the best-selling small electric van in September.

Eurig Druce, Group Managing Director – Stellantis UK & Managing Director – PEUGEOT UK, said: “PEUGEOT is proud to continue supplying electric vans to Royal Mail, a partnership that has been ongoing since 2009, which is testament to the quality and reliability of our vehicles. PEUGEOT’s electric vans are built in Britain for an iconic British brand and we will continue to uphold this historic partnership and support Royal Mail’s electrification ambitions. PEUGEOT is equally committed to the electric transition, with the widest all-electric vehicle line-up of any mainstream European brand, while our leadership in electric van sales is proof of our technology and innovation in this market.”

Greg Sage, Royal Mail’s Deputy Director for Corporate Affairs and ESG, said: “We’re proud that our latest tranche of electric vehicles has been produced at PEUGEOT’s Ellesmere Port plant. This is an important part of our work to expand the UK’s largest electric delivery fleet and to remain the UK’s greenest delivery company.” *

The new E-PARTNER features an updated design, new technologies, and an increased all-electric range of up to 213 miles (WLTP). The E-PARTNER is powered by an electric motor producing 136hp and 270Nm of torque along with a 50kWh battery. To optimise range, the new E-PARTNER features a regenerative braking system that can be activated at three different levels using steering wheel paddles.

The underfloor installation of the batteries ensures no compromise in load volume, with a useful volume of up to 4.4m3, while the payload of 780kg and towable weight of 750kg are benchmarks in the segment.

*Based on average gCO2e emissions per parcel delivered by UK parcel operators, as published by Citizens Advice 2023 Parcels League Table.