DPD hail electric van fleet after completing the Great British EV Rally

Leading parcel delivery firm DPD has hailed its electric van fleet after two of its vehicles completed the 1,400 mile Great British EV Rally. The Great British EV Rally was staged over 5 days and saw more than 50 electric vehicles traverse the country to demonstrate the capability of the vehicles themselves and show what is possible with fleet electrification. The DPD team of four drivers included the firm’s Head of Sustainability, Olly Craughan and Sustainability Manager Georgina Burgess, alongside senior managers Chris Betts and Rob Cheeseman from the wider operation.

Together they marshalled the DPD branded Ford E-Transit and Maxus eDeliver 3 down through Scotland, the North East to Leeds and then Rockingham Race Circuit, before heading across to the GridServe charging facility in Braintree, Essex. The teams then headed west, calling at Bristol and Cardiff, before the final leg down to Lands’ End, via the Eden Project. Along the way, the Rally was designed to showcase motorway and roadside charging, including charging hubs, destination chargers and electric forecourts.

The Rally also helps to highlight key issues such as how driver style affects the performance of an EV, with data on driver performance shared with the teams each evening. Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability, DPDgroup UK commented:

“The whole purpose of the Rally is to illustrate that operating a 100% electric fleet is no longer just an aspirational strategy.  That’s something that is hugely relevant to us as we look to double our electric fleet to 5,000 EVs.  I was really impressed with the charging options we were able to access right across the country.  I think we have certainly helped smash some of the myths around EVs and I’ve come away believing that we genuinely are on the cusp of a charging revolution in the UK. We already knew how amazing these vehicles were in the context of DPD’s day to day work, but this was an opportunity to really test them in different ways and they have been absolutely fantastic.  As one of the most visible green brands on the road, we are aware that we have a role to play in terms of helping to raise awareness among the wider public about e-mobility and how we can transition to a cleaner, greener future.  But I think this has been good for us too and will helps us showcase to our own drivers just what is possible.”

DPD opened the UK’s first all-electric parcel delivery depot in Westminster in 2018 and aims to be the UK’s most sustainable delivery company.  The firm will have over 3,000 electric vehicles on the road in the UK this year and 5,000 by 2023, when it will be delivering to 30 towns and cities on all-electric vehicles.

Details on all of DPD’s sustainability initiatives can be found on its dedicated green website: https://green.dpd.co.uk/