Royal Mail is set to trial two types of micro electric vehicles (MEVs) for letter and small parcel deliveries.
Roughly the size of a golf buggy or a quad bike, the Paxster Cargo and the Ligier Pulse 4 vehicles will be assessed in residential areas as a potential lower-carbon alternative to larger vans, which are typically shared by two delivery personnel. The trial will assess whether providing access to separate vehicles could provide greater flexibility on busy routes in a more environmentally friendly way.
Liveried in traditional Royal Mail red, the vehicles will be trialed over a six-month period in Edinburgh, Crewe, Liverpool, Swindon and London.
Simon Thompson, CEO at Royal Mail, said, “It’s really exciting to see these micro electric vehicles making their way into our daily deliveries. At Royal Mail, we’re committed to keeping on reducing our environmental impact and we intend to leave no stone unturned in trialing new technologies and new ways of delivering to help us do that. As our fantastic posties make most deliveries on foot, this already means we have the lowest reported CO2 e per parcel of major UK delivery companies. From drones to electric vehicles, fuel-efficient tires to bio-CNG trucks, we’ll keep on innovating to reduce our environmental impact even further.”
The new MEVs are designed to help postmen and women manage the growing number of parcels on the daily round in an environmentally friendly way. With a load size of between 1.2m3 and 2m3 , the vehicles can accommodate more than an average daily round’s worth of letters and small parcels. The vehicles are charged using a standard three-pin plug for flexibility.
Once the trial period has ended, Royal Mail will make a decision on whether to roll out this category of vehicles more widely across its fleet to complement more conventional vehicles.
