Parcel delivery service DPD is scheduled to take delivery of 300 electric Nissan e-NV200 vans by May 2020.
The order takes DPD’s electric fleet to 450 vehicles, with the company aiming for 10% of its fleet at UK depots to be electric by the end of the year.
The Nissan e-NV200, which has a WLTP range of 124-187 miles and costs from £20,005 (including government grant, excluding VAT), already makes up the majority of DPD’s electric fleet, as 91 of the electric vans have already been supplied and have been delivering parcels over the last 18 months.
DPD uses the vans for local, multi-drop deliveries, with the vehicles travelling up to 100 miles a day and being charged mainly overnight, at DPD’s depots.
It says that feedback from drivers has been positive thanks to the quiet and easy driving experience of the vans. The company has been training its employees in how to adapt to driving an electric vehicle.
Dwain McDonald, DPD’s CEO, commented: “This is a real landmark day in the move to a more sustainable future for the parcel industry. These vehicles are changing the way we work. It isn’t just a case of plugging them in and saying, ‘job done’.
“We are rethinking and re-engineering how we deliver parcels now and in the future with different route networks and new types of depots. It is an all-encompassing revolution for our industry and electric, emission-free vehicles are at the heart of that vision.”
Peter McDonald, fleet director at Nissan Motor GB, said: “It’s exciting to see a company built on delivering on time and to schedule proving that an electric vehicle can work for them, while also making such a large commitment to reducing their carbon footprint.”
