In a statement, Royal Mail said that 70 delivery offices across the country 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 in June 2021, and the most recent to go live is Letchworth, who started the journey in July 2022.
Commenting on the achievement, Simon Thompson, CEO of 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.”
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.”
Jane Hunt MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets), also talked enthusiastically about the news:
“In expanding its EV fleet to over 3000 electric vans, Royal Mail is going the extra mile to decarbonise our roads and help create a more sustainable future for the delivery sector. Thanks to government investment, the UK has a leading position in the design, manufacture, and use of zero emissions vehicles, which helps to stimulate employment, investment and export opportunities. It is great to see more businesses like Royal Mail taking advantage of this by making the switch to electric.”
Paul Bristow, MP for Peterborough, followed suit:
I loved driving this electric vehicle today at the Royal Mail Delivery Office and Mail Centre in Werrington. It’s important the Royal Mail invest in electric vehicles as they are better for their staff as well as the environment. The last time I was at the office I was collecting a letter so to see everything behind the scenes was brilliant. Thank you to all the hard-working staff and our posties!”
In addition to the vehicles already in use, Royal Mail announced it had ordered a further 2,000 electric Peugeot vehicles.
The new vehicles, which comprise 1,000 Peugeot Partner and 1,000 Peugeot Expert models, are due to be delivered to the business from August as part of the company’s plans to have 5,500 EVs by Spring 2023.