Under a new five-year contract between DPD and online fashion retailer ASOS, at least 50% of deliveries within the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be carried out by electric vehicles.

DPD expects to have almost 600 electric vehicles on the road by 2021

DPD opened the UK’s first all-electric parcel depot in Westminster last October and is investing in a network of all-electric micro depots across the capital to further facilitate its zero-emission delivery proposition. DPD expects to have almost 600 electric vehicles on the road by 2021, forming the largest electric fleet in the industry and with plans to double its number of electric vehicles year-on-year.

DPD has worked with ASOS for over ten years in a partnership that the company says has driven innovation, such as ‘Follow my Parcel’ that offers real-time in-flight delivery options first trialled with ASOS.

DPD’s CEO Dwain McDonald commented: “Some of our most popular services were developed in conjunction with ASOS, so it is a relationship, based on great service, genuine innovation and a shared passion for ‘the next new thing’. ASOS customers will continue to benefit from the best in-flight parcel communication in the industry, with night-before notifications, one-hour delivery slots and complete control over their final delivery with our in-flight options and the YourDPD app.

“The next five years will see the delivery landscape transformed again with greener, more sustainable deliveries, more geo-location innovation and of course Brexit. We’re ahead of the game on all three fronts, but the investment in our all-electric fleet and depot network is key for us.”