DHL Parcel UK has taken delivery of six fully electric 16-metric ton Volvo trucks and 30 liquefied natural gas (LNG) Volvo tractor units.
The fully electric Volvo trucks will hit the road in London from January 2023. The Volvo FL Electric Rigids are powered by four 200kWh batteries which can run for 120 miles, carrying a maximum of 12 pallets weighing up to 6 metric tons. These will recharge overnight at strategic DHL Parcel locations in London for daily operations into the city center.
The 30 LNG Volvo tractor units will start going into operation later in 2023. Once the commissioning of the Bio-LNG gas tank is complete and drivers have been trained how to safely re-fuel, the 30 new Volvo FM LNG Tractors will be based at the DHL Parcel UK hub in Coventry. With a maximum reach of up to 400 miles per tank, they will be used on routes throughout the UK. When running on Bio-LNG the LNG tractor units emit 85% less CO2 emissions compared to a traditional diesel engine with the same power output (460bhp).
Both deployments are part of a £64m (US$78.5m) UK investment in a green heavy fleet in line with the company’s sustainability strategy to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050. On the road to achieving this goal, the group will invest over £6bn (US$7.3bn) in sustainable fuel and clean technologies by 2030. The zero-emission vehicles will also be 3-star compliant to the London Direct Vision Standard.
Peter Fuller, CEO of DHL Parcel UK, said, “Our aim is to be at the forefront of change in UK road transport. Having zero-emissions electric vehicles in our final-mile heavy fleet is a major step forward in our vision of net zero logistics-related emissions.”