Peugeot will supply 100 Partner L2 Electric vans to the Royal Mail, after an agreement was signed to electrify some of the postal service’s delivery fleet.
The deal is one of the largest single purchases of electric vehicles in the country, and the pure-electric vans are set to be used across the UK.
The vans will go into service from December 2017, and be supported by a roll-out of charging infrastructure at Royal Mail sites. With a range of up to 106 miles, the vans will be ideal for the Royal Mail at a local level, in both rural and urban areas.
In towns and cities, the electric vans won’t contribute to air quality in the area, while in rural places, the vans can be used with far greater efficiency than the current diesel options. These are often driven short distances from house to house, and either left running which uses fuel unneccessarily, or switched on and off repeatedly, which causes increased wear on components.
The Peugeot Partner L2 Electric can be recharged from 0-80% in around half an hour on a rapid point, with a 22.5 kWh battery keeping non-rapid charging times relatively low too.
The electric Partner can carry a gross payload of 552kg, and is powered by a 49kW electric motor. The front wheels are driven through a single ratio transmission, and the Peugeot offers brake energy recouperation too.
PSA Group Fleet Director Martin Gurney said: “With electric vehicles firmly on the agenda this week, there couldn’t be a better time to announce this landmark deal with the Royal Mail.
The order was won after Royal Mail carried out trials with the Partner Electric. It’s a tribute to their performance in the trials that Peugeot Electric vans will soon be helping Royal Mail 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. It also means we are on the front foot for future changes in emissions legislation.
“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.””