Royal Mail to trial electric vans for deliveries to help cut emissions

The Royal Mail is trialling the use of electric vans for parcel and letter deliveries to help cut emissions.

The company is partnering with the London Electric Vehicle Company to trial its new VN5 prototype electric van – based on a London taxi cab.

Trials will be held over the next six months on delivery rounds in Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bristol.

London Electric Vehicle Company is trialling the vehicle with 25 companies ahead of the official launch of its new VN5 electric van later this year.

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

“Alongside the introduction of electric vans in locations across our business, this trial is part of a programme of initiatives that allow us to experiment with ways to achieve this, whilst enabling us to continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and responsibly.”

It comes as the firm is set to cut 2,000 jobs to significantly reduce costs.

The company, whose revenues have been hit hard by coronavirus, is to slash management roles as part of a plan to save costs of £130 million.

Last month, Keith Williams, interim executive chair at Royal Mail, said: “In reality, our UK business has been facing significant headwinds for some years.

“We have not always been as agile as we might have liked when responding to change in the marketplace and customer needs.”

He added: “Regrettably, we are also proposing a management restructure impacting around 2,000 roles. We are committed to conducting the upcoming consultation process carefully and sensitively.

“We will work closely with our managers and their representatives during this difficult period, including supporting them as they transition into the next stage in their careers.”