Royal Mail launches first delivery office with all-electric vehicles
The news follows Royal Mail’s ambition to become a net zero carbon emission company
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Your support makes all the difference.The very first Royal Mail delivery office to have an entirely electric fleet of vehicles has been announced.
The Bristol East Central Delivery Office has had all 23 of its diesel delivery and collection vans replaced by fully electric equivalents in an effort to reduce emissions.
Six electric charging posts have been installed on-site providing electricity to power the office and charge the vehicles from 100 per cent renewable sources.
The company said Bristol was selected as the pioneering electric-only site because of the city’s plans to create a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) that will require certain vehicles to pay a fee to enter the city centre.
The new electric vans have smaller maintenance requirements and a larger load space, offering additional capacity to deal with the growing number of parcels being sent across the UK and beyond.
Similar fleet makeovers are being considered for other delivery depots throughout the country in the coming months.
The measure is part of Royal Mail’s ambition to become a net zero carbon emissions company, with a 100 per cent alternative fuel fleet.
Research by money.co.uk in November 2020 revealed that Royal Mail was the most carbon-conscious delivery company.
The postal service has the largest ‘feet on the street’ network of over 85,000 postmen and women, and the lowest reported CO2e emissions per parcel amongst major UK delivery companies.
Royal Mail chief executive Simon Thompson said: “It's clear to me that customers increasingly want less environmentally impacting deliveries.
“We are delighted to transform Bristol East Central into the very first Royal Mail 'all-electric' delivery office. This is a really positive step and will help us assess the impact of these changes on both our customers and our people when compared with conventional delivery offices.”
Rob Wotherspoon of the Communication Workers Union said: “This is not just about the fight against climate change, but about the air that our communities breathe.”
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