Royal Mail rolls out largest micro electric fleet

Royal Mail has welcomed a new fleet comprising more than 100 micro electric vehicles (MEVs) in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and increase delivery speeds.

MEVs were first trialled by the delivery company back in 2021 but this marks the first time these vehicles have been deployed at scale. 104 will be rolled out in London, Bristol, Brighton, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Scilly Isles, in time for the peak Christmas delivery period. They will replace 52 larger vans.

Their compact size is advantageous, as the MEVs can make efficient delivery rounds while travelling around London, while saving carbon emissions and improving local air quality.

Another benefit is they don’t need specialist EV charging infrastructure and can instead be plugged into a three-pin socket, which means they can be used from any delivery office, even those which may previously have been ruled out owing to yard space and electricity capacity.

In June, Royal Mail announced that average carbon emissions per parcel had been reduced by a fifth (20%) in the last year because of its increased use of low emission HVO in its large truck fleets (over 27 million litres), its deployment of 1,900 new electric vans, the purchase of 100% renewable electricity across its estate, and a reduction in Scope 3 emissions, helped by almost halving the number of domestic flights.

Scope 1-2 emissions fell by 27% compared to the base year, and for Scope 3 this was 24%.

Almost half of the 1,800 electric vans it plans on deploying in the near future will be built at Stellantis’ Ellesmere Port Plant.