85 percent of Norway’s population will have their letters and packages delivered home by electric vehicles.

“The pre-Christmas period is the most fun time of the year and the big test of strength for us. This year we expect a record number of packages, while 85 percent of the population will have their letters and packages delivered to their homes by electric vehicles. We have prepared well, and our skilled employees are ready to get the Christmas gifts safely to their homes,” says Hans-Øyvind Ryen, Executive Vice President at Posten Bring.

Three years ago, half of the population received letters and packages delivered by electric vehicles from Posten Bring. Today, that number is 85 percent, corresponding to 4.8 million Norwegians. Electric vehicles are now used in everything from the largest cities to smaller towns, island communities and Svalbard.

“We have worked systematically on electrification of the vehicle fleet over many years. The fact that we now deliver electric to 85 percent of the population shows how much of our distribution has been restructured,” continues Ryen, adding that the group has also come a long way in heavier vehicles, with 200 electric trucks on Norwegian roads.

Greater capacity before Christmas

At the same time as the vehicle fleet has been electrified, Posten Bring has strengthened capacity ahead of the Christmas traffic. In Moss, the group recently opened its second largest parcel terminal, which provides significantly greater capacity for parcel sorting, while the network of Parcel Boxes has been expanded throughout the country.

During the year, Posten has deployed parcel lockers at 100 new locations. An additional 200 locations have received more lockers and greater capacity. Never before has the network of parcel lockers been larger, with over 2,200 locations. At the same time, usage continues to increase. In October, four percent more parcels were handled in the parcel lockers than in December last year, which was the previous record month.

As parcel volumes increase, Posten has also prepared for the possibility that more customers may need help. Customer service is extending its opening hours, and chat will be open on Saturdays. Chatbots and voice bots are available 24/7 for the most common inquiries, while the Posten app gives customers an overview of where their shipments are located and when and where they are being delivered.

“We do what we can to make it easy to send, track and collect packages during the busy pre-Christmas period. Customers can help us by sending in good time and collecting the package as quickly as possible when the collection notification arrives. This will leave room for the next Christmas gift that is on the way,” says Ryen.