Royal Mail is to roll out 3,000 additional electric vans on its fleet, joining its existing 300 EVs and expanding its EV fleet 10-fold.

The 3,000 new electric vans will initially be deployed in ultra-low emission zones and green cities

The vehicles, liveried in traditional Royal Mail red, will initially be deployed in ultra-low emission zones and green cities and will help the company reduce its operational emissions further. The organisation says it already has the lowest reported CO2e emissions per parcel amongst major UK delivery companies.

Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail said: “Due to our ‘feet on the street’ delivery model, we are the clear leader in low emissions per parcel in the UK. Electrification of our vehicle fleet will strengthen our advantage. That’s good for our customers, our people & the planet. We look forward to working with vehicle manufacturers and government to increase supply so we can accelerate our transition to electric vehicles in the UK. It matters to our customers, and it matters to us.”

Under the plans, Royal Mail will also introduce charging points to all the delivery offices due to receive the vehicles.

The new vans will bring load capacities ranging from around 3.7m3 to 6.3m3 and will operate as part of the company’s usual delivery routes.

The arrival of the vans follow the May launch of Royal Mail’s first-ever Delivery Office to feature an all-electric fleet of collection and delivery vehicles. It’s located in the Easton area of Bristol – which is due to go live with a Clean Air Zone in October 2021 – and uses fully electric vehicles to replace the previous its 23 diesel delivery and collection vans. Six electric charging posts and 12 charging points have also been installed on the site as part of the transformation.