DPD UK has ordered 1,000 Ford E-Transit vans to take its EV fleet to more than 2,500 at depots across the UK.
The parcel delivery firm will put its first E-Transit vans into operation in May, with its 3.5-tonne, 135kwh, long wheelbase specification coming with 12.4 cubic metres of load space.
DPD opened Britain’s first all-electric parcel delivery depot in Westminster in 2018 and, in October 2020, confirmed plans to deliver to 25 of the largest towns and cities in the UK with zero and low-emission delivery means by 2023.
The company operates more than 10,000 vehicles from 84 locations and delivers more than 400 million parcels a year.
“Getting our hands on the electric Ford Transit feels like a really big moment – 3.5t vans are the workhorse of any delivery fleet, and we are no different,” said Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability at DPD UK.
“We’ve said all along that we need the main commercial van manufacturers to step up with affordable models and large-scale production of right-hand drive vans to really get the EV revolution going in the UK.
“People really appreciate what we are doing with electric vehicles and all our other green initiatives. It is the same with our big retail customers too.”
