Ireland: An Post to deliver with 750 electric vehicles
An Post, the state-owned provider of postal services in Ireland, plans to purchase 750 electric vehicles by 2022, of which 200 will be on the roads this year. All deliveries in central Dublin are to be a 100% electric by the end of 2019 with other urban areas of Ireland to follow suit.
After Dublin, deliveries in Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford are also to be electrified by the end of 2020, says the Irish An Post. The acquisition of 750 new electric vehicles includes both electric vans and e-bikes and will begin this year.
Once the first 200 EVs arrive, the post will introduce an “eco-driving” training regime for drivers to ensure best operational practices for the new fleet, according to the report in the Independent. Two charging points have also been installed at Leinster House as the start of a larger infrastructure expansion planned for the incoming electric vehicles.
The newspaper quotes Richard Bruton, Ireland’s Minister for Environment saying that the An Post is “leading by example” and that initiatives such as this are “vital” to show how to combat climate change.
An Post is working strategically under the company’s ‘Post Eco’ plan to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. Apart from zero-emission deliveries in urban centres, the programme also details some trials, including public charging points for electric vehicles outside post offices as well as installing solar panels on its buildings and sharing the financial benefits with local community-based environmental initiatives.
On the national level, the Irish government has published its development plan ‘Project Ireland 2040’ which outlines the country’s move to a low carbon economy worth 116 billion euros. With regards to transport, the aim is to have half a million electric vehicles on Ireland’s road by 2030. This is also the point at which fossil fuel powered cars will not be able to get a license plate any longer (we reported).
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