The Royal Mail continues to confirm itself as the UK's largest electric van fleet operator having put its 6000th BEV on the road.
The electric van has been deployed at Manchester Mail Centre, adding to 15 others already at the site used for deliveries and collections.
It reached the 5000 vehicle milestone in July 2023 when an electric van was deployed at Sheffield City Delivery Office, which at the time already had more than 50 electric vehicles on site.
Royal Mail purchased its first 100 electric vehicles in December 2017 and the first site that went live with an all-electric fleet was Bristol in June 2021.
More than 240 Royal Mail offices across the country currently use electric vehicles, with most of the vans charged on-site with a 100% renewable electricity supply to ensure they are zero-emission.
Alistair Cochrane, Royal Mail’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “It’s so exciting to hit this major milestone just as we enter 2025. Electric vehicles are an essential part of our plan to be Net-Zero by 2040 and offer so many benefits for both our staff and customers. Our zero-emission vehicles make our deliveries greener, reducing noise and air pollution in local communities.”
Royal Mail has an ongoing contract with Stellantis to supply electric vans with the last major fleet deal with Peugeot announced in July when it added another 2,100 electric vans to its fleet as part of its annual vehicle replacement plan.
Royal Mail hopes to achieve Net-Zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Those new additions will increase the electric fleet to 7,100 vans and when operational are expected to reduce Royal Mail’s total emissions by around 6,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Royal Mail has also introduced hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to fuel many of its truck fleet, and has reduced emissions by 18% in four years, with a target to achieve a 50% reduction by 2030.