Royal Mail to buy 100 Peugeot electric vans for delivery vehicles
27 July 2017
Royal Mail has signed an agreement with Peugeot to purchase 100 Partner L2 Electric vans, to be used as delivery vehicles. The vans will go into service from December 2017 at delivery offices around the UK, supported by a comprehensive rollout of charging infrastructure. Royal Mail—since 2003 a quoted company with shares traded on the LSE—is the UK’s designated Universal Postal Service Provider.
The Partner L2 Electric was launched in February; this is the first major fleet order for the van. The lithium-ion battery pack is fitted under the load floor, ensuring there is no loss of load space compared with gasoline and diesel-powered Partner L2 models. The Partner L2 Electric will carry a gross payload of 552 kg (1,217 lbs).
Power comes from a compact permanent magnet synchronous motor producing 49 kW (67 hp) at 4,000 rpm and maximum torque of 200 N·m. The front wheels are driven through a speed reducer and single ratio gearbox.
The Partner Electric’s 22.5 kWh lithium-ion batteries offer a range of up to 106 miles (171 km), measured on the NEDC cycle. The batteries can be re-charged to 80% capacity in 30 minutes from a dedicated rapid charge point. The drive motor also provides regenerative braking when slowing down, helping to re-charge the batteries and reduce brake wear.
Partner Electric customers are eligible for the Plug in Van Grant (PiVG) from the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) towards the cost of buying the vehicle. The PiVG covers 20% of the cost of the vehicle including VAT but excluding on-the-road costs.
Partner Electric drivers in London would be eligible for the Ultra Low Emission Discount (ULED), which provides a 100% discount from the London Congestion Charge, an exemption worth up to £2,989 (US$3,928) per year. London boroughs such as Hackney also offer a 100% discount on parking permits for electric vehicles, resulting in substantial savings each year.
Our research has shown that electric vans are a good operational fit with our business and we are delighted to be ordering such a large volume to use in our daily operations. This is good news for our customers and the towns and cities which we serve. It also means we are on the front foot for future changes in emissions legislation.
Emissions are an important issue for us at Royal Mail and we are continuously looking at new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on air quality. Improving the efficiency of our fleet by introducing electric vans is just one example of this.
—Paul Gatti, Royal Mail Fleet Director
The nice thing is, that a fleet order can now be put in quite routinely, with a choice of several manufacturers for where the performance envelope of a BEV makes sense.
Posted by: Davemart | 27 July 2017 at 02:30 PM
One more sign to indicate the dam against EV transportation is breaking; however, we need to address the worse polluters on the Planet...the shipping industry.
Posted by: Lad | 27 July 2017 at 06:02 PM
They will have been better with a gas serial hybrid, no down time at all.
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