Postal delivery firm Royal Mail now has a fleet in excess of 3,000 electric vans (eLCVs). The 3,000th eLCV was delivered to its Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, depot in the East of England.

According to the Royal Mail, the delivery depot has 106 vehicles on site with all delivery and collection functions operated by a fully electric fleet.

Simon Thompson, CEO, Royal Mail said, “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. 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.”

Royal Mail reports that 70 of its delivery depots in the UK have made the transition to move to either full or part electric deliveries and collections. The first site that went live with an all-electric fleet was Bristol, West of England, in June 2021.

Thompson added, “We now merchandise the emissions per parcel for every delivery on the Royal Mail App, so customers can understand the impact of their order on the planet. As a business we are leading the change to achieving a more sustainable future for our fleet and our planet – with our colleagues on the frontline championing the vehicles and the move to an all-electric fleet.”

2,000 More Peugeot eLCVs to Join Fleet

In addition to the eLCVs already in use, the business is announcing a deal signed for a further 2,000 electric Peugeot electric vans.

Joining the Royal Mail fleet will be 1,000 Peugeot Partner and 1,000 Peugeot Expert models due from August as part of the company’s plans to boost its electric fleet to 5,500 by spring 2023.

Commenting on the agreement, Peugeot UK managing director, Julie David, added, “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. The Peugeot e-Partner and e-Expert make no compromise on useful volume or practicality compared with the diesel versions, while  offering all the advantages of lower running costs, ease of driving, immediate throttle response, high torque and the absence of noise, vibrations and tailpipe emissions.”

The electric vans are part of the Royal Mail’s trialing of new innovations for zero and reduced-emissions deliveries. These include drones for remote locations, micro electric vehicles and a program to optimize on-foot deliveries with a van delivering to a central point, serving a number of delivery operatives on foot.