DHL Parcel UK has taken delivery of six fully electric 16-tonne Volvo trucks.
The trucks will hit the road in London from January 2023.
DHL will also roll out 30 Liquefied Natural Gas Volvo tractor units, which will start going into operation later in the year.
Both deployments are part of a €74 million UK investment in a green heavy fleet in line with Deutsche Post DHL Group’s sustainability strategy.
The move marks an important step forward in DHL Parcel UK’s decarbonisation plans and Deutsche Post DHL Group’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050.
On the road to achieving this goal, the group will invest over €7 billion in sustainable fuel and clean technologies by 2030. Converting the DHL fleet for pick-up, delivery and linehauls to either electric drives or sustainable fuel solutions is an important lever in this.
“Our aim is to be at the forefront of change in UK road transport. Having zero emissions electric vehicles in our final mile heavy fleet is a major step forward in our vision of net zero logistics related emissions,” said Peter Fuller CEO, DHL Parcel UK
The 16-tonne Volvo FL Electric Rigids are powered by four 200kWh batteries, which can run for 193km, carrying a maximum of 12 pallets weighing up to six tonnes. These will recharge overnight at strategic DHL Parcel locations in London for daily operations into the city centre.
Once commissioning of the Bio-LNG gas tank is complete and drivers have been trained how to safely refuel the 30 new Volvo FM LNG Tractors will be based at the DHL Parcel UK hub in Coventry. With a maximum reach of up to 644km per tank, they will be used on routes throughout the UK. When running on Bio-LNG, the LNG tractor units emit 85% less CO2 emissions compared to a traditional Diesel engine with the same power output of 343kW (460hp).
