Swiss Post and Austrian Post commit to EVs by 2030
Swiss Post and Austrian Post have promised to electrify their delivery fleets by 2030 as they became the latest company to join the EV100 campaign from The Climate Group.
EV100 – which aims to make electric transport ‘the new normal’ by 2030 – is led by The Climate Group, the international non-profit focused on accelerating climate action.
Austrian Post, the largest logistics business in Austria, already has more than 1,600 electric cars, mopeds, and bikes in its fleet. But it announced today that a further 9,000 vehicles will be replaced with electric alternatives over the next decade.
Georg Pölzl, CEO, Austrian Post, said: “Austrian Post has been relying on the deployment of electric vehicles within the context of its CO₂ NEUTRAL DELIVERY initiative since 2011, making it a trailblazer in green logistics. About 1,600 electric-powered bikes, mopeds, quads and cars are already in use in Austrian Post’s daily business.
“As the country’s leading logistics company, we want to leverage the public’s familiarity with us to show that e-mobility works well in our regular operations and is also profitable. Our joining the EV100 initiative and the objective of having 100% e-vehicles on the last mile by the year 2030 comprise a logistical step on our journey towards CO₂-free and pollution-free logistics.”
At the same time, Post CH, a subsidiary of Swiss Post, said it will switch more than 10,000 vehicles to electric under the EV100 pledge, including 4,600 delivery vans.
Marco Reber, CEO of Post Company Cars Ltd, fleet management company for Post CH Ltd, said: “We have the largest fleet of electric three-wheeled scooters of its kind in Europe in use for mail delivery in Switzerland, running on green electricity produced in Switzerland. We are acting today for tomorrow by increasing the use of energy-efficient electric vehicles for parcel deliveries and service trips in order to further reduce CO2 emissions and to save on operational costs. For the many stop-and-gos in delivery, to improve air quality and to reduce noise, EVs are the most optimal drive concept. Furthermore we support the uptake of electric vehicles by our staff.”
Pieter Reitsma, Manager, Sustainability, International Postal Corporation, of which Austrian Post and Swiss Post are members, said: “As recent stakeholder research has shown, our customers consider low carbon transport to be the most important opportunity to extend our sector’s sustainability efforts. Switching from fossil fuelled vehicles to electric vehicles represents a significant step towards further reducing carbon emissions from our delivery fleet. We therefore strongly encourage our participants to join the EV100 initiative.”
Helen Clarkson, chief executive of The Climate Group, said the new commitments are further evidence of a surge in corporate interest in all-electric fleets. “The EV transition is well underway,” she said. “To stay competitive, all major companies should start transitioning their fleets now, and automakers must get on with increasing supply – or else risk losing out on this huge opportunity.”
