Delivery and logistics firm DPD has purchased 300 e-NV200 vans from Nissan as the company aims to have 10% of its vehicles electrically powered by the end of 2020.
The order will more than triple DPD’s current total EV tally, taking it to 450 by May as part of its strategy to be the most responsible and sustainable city centre delivery company and the leader in electric vehicles in the UK.
The Nissan e-NV200 already makes up the majority of DPD’s EV fleet, with 91 already put on the road over the past 18 months. The new vehicles will be dispatched to DPD depots across the country in the coming weeks, where they will be used for local, multi-drop deliveries, travelling up to 100 miles a day.
Feedback from drivers so far has been positive, thanks to the quiet and relaxing drive, and the company has also spent time training its employees on how to adapt to driving an electric vehicle, with comprehensive vehicle handover sessions.
DPD expects to charge the vehicles overnight at its depots and will decide where to deploy the EVs each day using its in-house route calculation and vehicle optimisation systems.
The Nissan e-NV200 can cover a WLTP-approved 124-187 miles on one charge (combined/city cycle) and can be rapid charged to 80% in about 60 minutes or to full in less than eight hours with a wall box. The e-NV200 has 4.2m3 load space – enough for two Euro Pallets – and two sliding doors for easy access.
Dwain McDonald, DPD’s CEO, said this was a “landmark day” in the move to a more sustainable future for the parcel industry. “These vehicles are changing the way we work. It isn’t just a case of plugging them in and saying, ‘job done’.
“We are rethinking and re-engineering how we deliver parcels now and in the future with different route networks and new types of depots. It is an all-encompassing revolution for our industry and electric, emission-free vehicles are at the heart of that vision.”
Peter McDonald, fleet director at Nissan Motor GB, added: “It’s exciting to see a company built on delivering on time and to schedule proving that an electric vehicle can work for them, while also making such a large commitment to reducing their carbon footprint. We’re seeing increased demand for the e-NV200 as more businesses look for an all-electric alternative. Nissan is able to deliver a fantastic product for them and fast.”
