An Post to trial Renault electric vans on delivery routes
Ireland’s An Post is working with motor manufacturer Renault Ireland to trial the postal service’s first electrically-powered vehicles. The project will see the Irish universal postal service provider testing out a Renault Kangoo Z.E. mini van directly in comparison with its traditional diesel counterpart, in a like-for-like study over postal routes in city areas.
The trial will take place over the next 12 months, involving one vehicle in each of the three cities of Dublin, Cork and Galway.
An Post uses more than 7.5m litres of diesel each year in its fleet of more than 2,700 vehicles, which is one of the country’s largest fleets. The company spends around EUR 10m each year on fuel.
The company already operates 940 diesel-powered Kangoo vehicles in its fleet. The new all-electric vans will be tried on a variety of delivery routes, and monitored against their diesel equivalents.
Renault states that the electric Kangoo Z.E. has a range of about 170km (105 miles) depending on driving conditions.
Dublin Postwoman Caroline Doyle with her new Renault Kangoo Z.E. electric Postvan at Dublin’s GPO. She starts trialling the vehicle on a cross-city Dublin collection and delivery route from today
An Post chief executive Donal Connell said his company was looking to introduce more efficient and environmental forms of transport, but that the green benefits had to be weighed against cost.
He said: “An Post is constantly introducing more efficient and more effective ways of working but new methods have to balance environmental and economic sustainability.”
Kangoo
The Renault Kangoo is already being trialled by other postal services in continental Europe, including by Austrian Post and Deutsche Post, while France’s La Poste has 10,000 on order for the next few years.
Connell said a postal service like his was in a great position to test the vehicles. “We are unique in how much of the country we cover every working day, delivering to 2.1 million business and home addresses in all kinds of terrain, through all types of weather,” he said.
Eric Basset, managing director of Renault Ireland, said Ireland was an “ideal test bed” for the Kangoo Z.E. since the annual commute there was less than 40km.
He said: “We are delighted to launch this trial with An Post, the first of its type with the Renault Kangoo Z.E. in Ireland. The data established will be of great benefit to other companies looking at incorporating Renault EVs into their fleet as we have best offering of electric vehicles in terms of price, choice, benefits and range.”
An Post told Post&Parcel that the outcome of the year-long trial, and how total lifetime costs are taken into consideration with regard to the electric vehicles, will then determine its next steps for vehicle procurement.
