______________________________________________________________________________________________ Royal Mail Group
“ Operating the UK ’ s largest commercial fleet in all corners of the country presents its own EV integration and infrastructure challenges , meaning electrification can ’ t be a one-size-fits-all policy and we must instead navigate any issues at a local level . We currently charge our EVs at local depots , but given the number of vehicles in our fleet , the resilience of the grid and costly substation upgrades can prevent us installing more than a handful of EVs at any one site . Grid capacity and costs can also vary significantly between locations , making it hard to estimate the time and money needed for each rollout .
“ There are some issues with the electrification process that Royal Mail cannot fix alone ,” he continues . “ We need increased public investment in a smart , flexible energy system so that charging infrastructure can be installed easily and for a reasonable price . To supplement our depot-based charging , we ’ re looking to work with local authorities on their infrastructure rollout plans . Large fleet operators like us can help to improve consultation and coordination for authorities ’ plans , so collaboration is mutually beneficial .”
Embracing electrification
Similarly , the scale and diversity of Royal Mail ’ s property portfolio has thrown up some issues . “ Our regional mail centers and delivery offices are in a mixture of owned and rented buildings , and where we rent a property , gaining landlord consent to install electric vehicle chargers can be difficult and time-consuming ,” Nick explains . “ We ’ re very much aware of the challenges of charging EVs at home , particularly in cities where grid capacity issues and a lack of off-street parking mean it can be difficult to find an appropriate location . We want to encourage EV uptake for all employees , but this will require greater charging availability and flexibility .”
Aside from EVs , Royal Mail is adopting Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil ( HVO ) as an alternative fuel . “ We first used HVO as an alternative to diesel in June last year at our parcel hubs in key locations like the East and West Midlands , Manchester , Sheffield , and Warrington ,” Nick shares . “ I ’ m proud to say that we hit our first milestone of ten million liters used in May 2024 . HVO reduces up to 90 percent of direct greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel , and we ’ re now aiming to use 27 million liters of HVO by May 2025 , which we estimate will save around 44,000 tons of carbon dioxide .”
In the summer of 2024 , Royal Mail also reduced the number of domestic flights it operates by half , leaving only flights that are essential to deliver the universal service obligation . “ This is the biggest step we have ever taken to reduce our air travel ,” Nick states . “ Reducing flights is not only a crucial step towards our net-zero goals , but also makes our services more reliable for customers , as road vehicles are less likely to be impacted by weather conditions or capacity issues . This means we can transport more during our busiest times and better meet demand for next-day delivery .”
As our conversation ends , Nick explains how the company continues to place customers at the heart of its operations throughout the netzero journey . “ Our customers expect a reliable and efficient service from us at all times ,” he says . “ We closely manage our EV rollouts , considering factors like site layout , training , and charging safety to make them as smooth as possible .
“ Working towards our net-zero goals will continue to be a major part of our work as we enter 2025 and beyond , with next year seeing the rollout of an additional 2100 EVs and the end of an era for four of our flights ,” Nick concludes . “ We ’ re also preparing for the coming challenges and opportunities around local parcel expansion as we strive to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible for our customers .” ■
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