The parcel delivery company DPD has ordered 100 MAN eTGE electric transporters, thereby expanding its electric vehicle fleet in Great Britain to 600 vehicles. The contract was signed by MAN before the official UK launch of the right-hand-drive model at the end of April at the commercial vehicle fair in Birmingham.

With the 100 additionally ordered units DPD says it will have “the largest 3.5-electric transporter fleet” in Great Britain. Just a few weeks ago the parcel delivery service ordered 300 Nissan e-NV200 electric vans, also for use in the UK. These are to be delivered by May.

But let’s get back to the MAN eTGE: when used in the city or under conditions similar to those in a city, the delivery van with a 36-kWh battery onboard has a realistic range of between 120 and 140 kilometres according to MAN – the WLTP range is 114 kilometres. For delivery operations, values such as the payload of 950 kilograms or the load volume of 10.7 square metres are likely to be more important than, say, the engine output of 100 kW.

“The 3.5-tonne delivery van is an absolute centrepiece of our delivery and collection fleet strategy, so this is a big deal for us”, comments DPD boss Dwain McDonald on the latest order. He said that while they had had to wait a long time for the first electric 3.5-tonne delivery vans with right-hand drive, they are now delighted about the partnership with MAN Truck & Bus. At the same time, McDonald is addressing other manufacturers with the message that his company would like to see more right-hand-drive models. “We could buy far more,” he explains.

By the end of the current year, ten per cent of the van fleet in the 68 DPD depots in the UK is to be battery-electric. The Westminster depot serves as a real-life laboratory for the parcel service. There the company already converted its fleet exclusively to electric vehicles in October 2018. Twelve special vehicles are also used from Westminster: DPD is one of the first customers of the EAV P1, a four-wheeled electric cargo bike from the English startup EAV.

In Germany, DPD is also aiming to convert parcel delivery to electric mobility. For example, in Hamburg’s city centre, where the parcel and express service provider is relying on a mix of small vehicles, such as cargo bikes or electric scooters, and larger vehicles such as electric transporters and electric trucks.

motortransport.co.uk, postandparcel.info, dpd.co.uk

With reporting by Cora Werwitzke, France