DPD boosts electric van fleet to 600 to build the largest electric delivery fleet in the UK

Parcel industry leader DPD has agreed a deal with manufacturers to deliver 100 eTGE electric vans, with the deal meaning that DPD will have the largest 3.5t electric van fleet in the UK, taking its electric fleet to 600 total vehicles.

Until now, electric versions of the eTGE vans have not been widely available in the UK with DPD taking the first 100 eTGE's when they roll off the production line in June 2020.

MAN's eTGE is tailored to meet the requirements of inner-city delivery traffic with a range of 65-70 miles. The battery can be fully charged at a charge point in just over five hours or rapid charged to 80% in 45 minutes.

The order is part of DPD's strategy to be the most responsible and sustainable city centre delivery company and the leader in electric vehicles in the UK. In October 2018, DPD opened the UK's first all-electric parcel depot in Westminster and in November last year launched a unique, purpose-built, e-cargo bike.

In January, DPD confirmed it was taking a delivery of 300 new electric Nissan e-NV200 vans by May 2020, in what is believed to be the largest single UK commercial EV van order to date. DPD is aiming for 10% of its van fleet to be electric in each of its 68 UK depots by the end of this year.

Dwain McDonald, DPD's CEO commented, "We're building the largest all-electric delivery fleet in the UK, in double-quick time.  The 3.5t van is absolutely core to our delivery and collection fleet strategy, so this is a big deal for us. It gives us huge efficiencies on the road in terms of route densities, but we've had to wait a long time for the first electric right-hand drive 3.5t vans."

"We are urging other manufacturers to bring forward right-hand drive electrics as we can take far more.  It isn't just us demanding them, our retail customers have responded very positively to our new EV fleet and they want to be telling their customers about their green deliveries too."

In December last year, TheIndustry.fashion reported on research that the volume of parcels despatched during November and December increased by 116% in comparison to the rest of the year, illustrating the logistical pressure on retailers and delivery drivers over the Christmas period.