Royal Mail is adding another 2,100 electric vans (EVs) to its fleet over the next year as part of the company’s plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
The new electric vehicles, which will be the first of Royal Mail’s famous red vans to include the new King’s cruciform and livery, will be rolled out from August across the UK.
Jenny Hall, director of corporate affairs at Royal Mail, says: “Electric vehicles provide a wide range of benefits, reducing noise and air pollution in local communities as well as reducing our impact on the environment. We want as many customers as possible [to] benefit from zero-emission deliveries to their doorstep.”
Is Royal Mail on a modernization mission?
This significant move toward electrification comes weeks after Royal Mail’s recent acquisition by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský.
Could this be the way of new owners ramping up with modernization and what is to come from the portal service in the future? Royal Mail currently has 5,000 electric vehicles in the UK. This pushes the tally up to 7,100.
Recently the postal service also partnered with Skyports and Argyll and Bute Council, to test drone deliveries between the remote isles of Islay and Jura in the Inner Hebrides.
This drone mission could also be a move to complement the EV rollout and further boost its sustainable delivery quest.
These modernization initiatives may just be a welcome sight as the Royal Mail seems to have been wading through rocky waters in the last few months.
Global EV market
Grand View Research reports the global EV market is expected to achieve excellent growth in the next six years.
“The expansion of the transportation and logistics sectors significantly drives the rising demand for EVs,” reads the report.
In June, delivery company Evri announced a $24 million (£19 million) investment to speed up the use of electric cargo bikes for deliveries, aiming to reduce emissions.
Evri has set up a special team called the “final-mile electrification taskforce.” This team will lead efforts to find new solutions, create partnerships, and develop strategies to make last-mile deliveries zero-emission.
Photo Credit: Royal Mail (Facebook)
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About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
