Royal Mail deploys 190 all electric ‘Green’ vans across parts of London

Londoners will see some of Royal Mail’s iconic red vans turn green this month, as the Company announced the deployment of 190 zero carbon emission, electric vans that will deliver letters, parcels and cards across selected locations in the capital and surrounding areas.

Following the successful roll-out of 100 zero emission electric vans around the UK last year, Royal Mail is expanding its electric fleet with the new vehicles, which have been wrapped a striking shade of green to mark the occasion.

A mix of Mercedes-Benz eVito and Peugeot Partner vans are charged via wall or floor mounted charging posts. They are specially designed to help postmen and women deliver letters and parcels in a secure and environmentally-friendly way.

With load capacities ranging from 3.7m3 to 6.3m3, the vehicles will operate as part of usual delivery routes. They will be launched during July across selected locations in London and the South East including Whitechapel, Islington, Bexleyheath, Dartford and Orpington in Kent.

The expansion will complement the Company's iconic existing red fleet of over 41,500 vans, and forms part of Royal Mail's involvement in the Optimise Prime project, which aims to bring together leading power, technology, fleet and transport companies. Led by Hitachi Vantara and UK Power Networks, Optimise Prime is the world's biggest electric vehicle demonstrator project, and brings together leading power, technology, fleet and transport companies - including SSEN, Uber and Centrica - to test and implement the best approaches to the EV rollout for commercial enterprises.

Royal Mail has already reduced its overall carbon emissions by 29% since 2004, and with the UK's largest “Feet on the Street” network of 90,000 postmen and women, the Company already plays a key role in keeping its carbon emissions low. The expansion of its fleet of electric vans and trial launch of e-Trikes serve as recent examples of the Company's efforts to continue to reduce CO2 emissions associated with its operations

Paul Gatti, Royal Mail Fleet Director said: “As a Company, we are committed to making changes to our operations that reduce our environmental impact, whilst ensuring we continue to meet customer expectations. This trial is part of a programme of initiatives across our business that will ensure we can continue to deliver letters and parcels safely, efficiently and in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.”

Nicole Thompson, Director, Social Innovation & Co-creation Partnerships, Hitachi Vantara said: “The Optimise Prime consortium is delighted to see the first tranche of new commercial electric vehicles on the road. By sharing data and collaborating with this industry-led initiative, Royal Mail is helping us pave the way for the mass adoption of electric vehicles in the UK.”