Swiss Post goes electric-only in Zurich and Bern

People in Switzerland expect companies such as Swiss Post to take the issue of sustainability seriously. Swiss Post sees this clearly in the expectations of its customers. Both smaller and larger companies require environmentally friendly logistics, and the Swiss population wants the same. Companies are expected to pack and deliver orders sustainably. At Swiss Post, sustainability is not just a buzzword, but a firm principle, which it has been acting upon for years. As a transport-intensive company with extensive infrastructure, Swiss Post’s largest sources of CO₂ consumption are its vehicles and buildings. That is why the company is taking action, and has now reached another milestone on the path towards climate-neutral logistics: it will deliver letters and parcels in the cities of Zurich and Bern exclusively with electrically powered vehicles from now on.

Mail carriers deliver around 40 million parcels using electric vehicles

This means that Swiss Post relies entirely on electricity for its own delivery vehicles in the cities of Zurich and Bern. The two cities now have a total of 568 purely electric vehicles on the roads. These include 374 electric scooters and 194 electrically powered delivery vehicles. The electricity for the vehicles is obtained fully from renewable power sources in Switzerland, ensuring Swiss Post provides more sustainable transport in the cities.

Thanks to this changeover, Swiss Post is delivering around 40 million parcels electrically every year. 7.9 million parcels are delivered per year in the city of Zurich alone, while 3.4 million parcels are delivered in the city of Bern. To make this possible, Swiss Post has gradually equipped the locations with electric vehicles and electric charging infrastructure. Electric delivery also poses major challenges for Swiss Post – some have already been overcome and others still need to be resolved. One issue is the range, which is limited – this requires additional effort depending on the delivery round. Meanwhile, the charging infrastructure has its own challenges. There are varying hurdles when installing the infrastructure, depending on whether a building is owned or leased by Swiss Post. Of the approximately 450 delivery points operated by Swiss Post throughout Switzerland, around 140 are currently fully equipped with charging stations.

Swiss Post sets an example with its commitment to electromobility

For Johannes Cramer, Member of Executive Management and Head of Swiss Post’s Logistics Services Group unit, it goes without saying that Swiss Post should set an example with its commitment to electromobility: “As a company owned by the Confederation, Swiss Post always has to act as a role model. And we live up to this. The electrification of our delivery fleet and the resulting resource-saving logistics means that our customers also reduce their carbon footprint”. The exclusive use of electric vehicles in Zurich and Bern is just the beginning. Besides the Zurich and Bern metropolitan areas, Swiss Post’s delivery vehicles will also be fully electric in the cities of Geneva and Basel as well as at around 50 other locations by the end of 2024. Swiss Post uses eco-electricity produced in Switzerland entirely from renewable sources. The electric delivery vehicles are in fact powered by “naturemade star” certified eco-electricity. By 2030, a total of around 10,500 delivery vehicles throughout Switzerland will be fitted with electric or other environmentally friendly drive technology. These vehicles will be used for fully carbon-neutral delivery of letters and parcels.