Royal Mail ready to deliver 100-strong fleet of electric vans

ROYAL Mail is going electric after announcing it is to buy 100 chargeable vans for postal workers to use on their delivery rounds.

The Peugeot Partner Electric vehicles will be based in delivery offices across the UK from December.

Paul Gatti, Royal Mail fleet director, said: “Our research has shown that electric vans are a good operational fit with our business and we are delighted to be ordering such a large volume to use in our daily operations. This is good news for our customers and the towns and cities which we serve. It also means we are on the front foot for future changes in emissions legislation.”

This year marks 120 years since Royal Mail began using motorised vehicles to deliver post. It now operates the largest vehicle fleet in the UK, with more than 47,000 cars, vans, trucks and lorries

The car’s 106-mile range and 552kg payload should not pose too much of a restriction to Royal Mail.

Martin Gurney, fleet director at Peugeot owner PSA, said: “With electric vehicles firmly on the agenda this week, there couldn’t be a better time to announce this landmark deal.”

Royal Mail is understood to be trialling several types of electric vehicle, from small vans all the way up to 26-tonne lorries.