Swiss & Austrian Post commit to electrify fleets

The EV100 initiative of the Climate Group organisation has received four new members, namely the Swiss Post, Austrian Post, Portugal’s EDP and Meridian Energy from New Zealand. They all pledge to further electrify their service fleets by 2030.

This latest support comes right before the Geneva Motor Show and translates to an additional 22,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030. Differently put, these are 22,000 fossil-fuel powered vehicles less and tons of emissions saved in deliveries.

The most significant change will come through the Swiss Post and the Post of Austria. Both logistic companies run large fleets that they now pledged to electrify by 2030, particularly on the last mile.

The Austrian Post already operates the largest electric vehicle fleet in the country and will switch more than 9,000 vehicles to electric as part of EV100. Georg Pölzl, CEO of the Austrian Post, specified that their “joining the EV100 initiative and the objective of having 100% e-vehicles on the last mile by the year 2030 comprises a logistical step on our journey towards CO₂-free and pollution-free logistics”.

Also, the Swiss counterpart clarified their claim, as it is Post CH, a subsidiary of Swiss Post, that will switch more than 10,000 vehicles to electric under EV100. Post CH has already electrified its mail delivery fleet with 6,000 electric three-wheelers and now wants to change 4,600 delivery vans (up to 3.5t) and 180 service vehicles to EVs by 2030, “if market supply and operating, and real estate conditions allow,” reads the press release. All of Post CH electric vehicles are charged by renewable energy from Switzerland.

In the case of EDP of Portugal, the pledge is a commitment to switch a fleet of more than 3,000 vehicles to electric. This transition has already begun, and the company has an overall target of reducing its CO emissions 75% by 2030, from a 2005 baseline.

To conclude, Meridian Energy will switch its fleet of 35 vehicles to EVs and install charging facilities at its offices. The utility already operates a 50% electric fleet, and CEO Neal Barclay said that “in New Zealand, the electrification of transport is the single biggest opportunity we have to combat climate change and it is an opportunity we must take”.

The Climate Group claims that their EV100 initiative that includes members such as Deutsche Post DHL and LeasePlan, is seeing the electrification of more than two million vehicles by 2030.

theclimategroup.org (PI)