DHL adds six electric trucks to its fleet

DHL Parcel UK has taken delivery of six fully electric 16-tonne Volvo trucks which will hit the road in London from January 2023 and 30 Liquefied Natural Gas Volvo tractor units which will start going into operation later in the year.

Both deployments are part of a £64 million UK investment in green heavy fleet in line with Deutsche Post DHL Group’s sustainability strategy.

The company expects to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050

Peter Fuller CEO, DHL Parcel UK said: “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.”

The 16-tonne Volvo FL Electric Rigids have a range of 120 miles, 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 re-fuel, 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 400 miles per tank, they will be used on routes throughout the UK. When running on Bio-LNG the LNG tractor units emit 85% percent less CO2 emissions compared to a traditional Diesel engine with the same power output (460hp).