Parcel delivery company DPD has opened an all-electric parcel depot in London, UK, and announced plans for a further seven all-electric sites in the capital.
The new 5,000ft² (465m²) facility will be known as DPD Westminster and will have the capacity to deliver 2,000 parcels a day utilizing an all-electric fleet. DPD has invested more than £500,000 (US$651,000) refurbishing the site, including the introduction of a new electric charging system that will enable the deployment of electric vehicles without major infrastructure upgrades.
Using all-electric vehicles in both the inward feed of parcels to DPD Westminster, and the final delivery to customers, DPD will initially see a reduction of 45 tones of CO₂ per annum. This will increase as more all-electric vehicles and depots are introduced into DPD’s all-electric network.
DPD has deployed three new types of all-electric vehicles to operate the depot. Two all-electric Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter 7.5t vehicles will feed parcels into the depot each day, while the final-mile deliveries will be completed by two different all-electric vehicles: Nissan eNV200 all-electric vans capable of making 120 stops a day; and micro-vehicles from Norwegian manufacturer Paxster, which are expected to operate 60 stops on one charge per day.
Dwain McDonald, CEO of DPD commented, “Reducing and neutralizing our carbon footprint; providing smarter and more efficient urban delivery solutions and driving innovation are at the heart of DPD’s DrivingChange program.
“We want to be the leader in alternative fuel vehicles in the UK, with the ultimate aim being to move to a zero-emission fleet. Westminster is clearly the first step toward that goal and will be instrumental in developing our future EV proposition and strategy.”