Today Royal Mail has agreed to purchase 100 Peugeot Partner L2 pure Electric vans, to be used by postmen and women on their delivery rounds. The vans will go into service from December 2017 at delivery offices around the UK, supported by a comprehensive roll-out of charging points at their depots.

Following trials the UK postal service opted for the small electric van as it aims to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its delivery fleet.

Paul Gatti, Royal Mail Fleet Director, said:

“Our research has shown that electric vans are a good operational fit with our business and we are delighted to be ordering such a large volume to use in our daily operations. This is good news for our customers and the towns and cities which we serve.

Emissions are an important issue for us at Royal Mail and we are continuously looking at new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on air quality. Improving the efficiency of our fleet by introducing electric vans is just one example of this.”

A 22.5kwh battery pack is fitted under the load floor, ensuring there is no loss of load space compared with its petrol and diesel-powered siblings. The Peugeot has gross payload of 552kg and is capable of driving 106 miles (NEDC) between recharges. Recharging to 80 percent capacity can be reached in just 30 minutes when using a rapid charger.

Power comes from a compact and highly efficient 49kW (67hp) electric motor that is capable of delivering maximum torque of 200Nm.

As with all electric can vans, the Partner is eligible for the Plug in Van Grant (PiVG) from the UK Government. This covers 20 percent of the cost of the vehicle including VAT but excluding on-the-road costs.  In running electric vehicles the Royal Mail will benefit from reduced running costs, when taking into account fuel and maintenance and repairs.

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