Ellesmere Port Peugeot delivers electric vans for Royal Mail

The vans, which will hit the streets this week, are the first of Royal Mail’s electric vehicles to bear the cypher of King Charles III.

Peugeot has been appointed to supply Royal Mail’s latest tranche of electric vans, which the company announced in July would be added to the fleet in time for the festive peak.

Among the 2,100 electric vehicles supplied in this latest deal are 1,100 E-PARTNER vans built at Ellesmere Port, the UK’s first EV-only volume manufacturing plant. Peugeot, alongside its sister Stellantis brands, is the only brand to manufacture electric vans in volume in the UK. The brand is also supplying 1,000 fully electric E-EXPERT vans as part of the deal.

Peugeot has supplied Royal Mail with vehicles since 2009, and electric vans since 2014 when Peugeot delivered the first E-PARTNER to Royal Mail.

A new Royal Mail van comes off the line at Ellesmere Port. (Image: Joseph Walshe)

Both parties are committed to electrification, and the latest supply of Peugeot vehicles to Royal Mail forms part of the latter’s plans to achieve net-zero by 2040.

Royal Mail estimates that the new vehicles supplied by Peugeot will reduce total emissions by around 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year when fully operational. Peugeot is at the forefront of electrification in the UK and is committed to becoming the EV leader among mainstream manufacturers in Europe. Peugeot already offers a complete range of 12 all-electric models, including three fully electric LCVs - the most extensive line-up of any mainstream European brand.

The new Peugeot vans will be charged on-site at Royal Mail’s delivery offices via the company’s 100% renewable electricity supply. Royal Mail plans to deploy more than half of its new Peugeot electric vans in time for the Christmas ‘peak period’ to provide excellent service and greener deliveries to customers during the busiest time of the year.

The electrification of vans is an important part of Royal Mail’s strategy to lower carbon emissions from its vehicles. Royal Mail has also introduced hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to fuel many of its heavy goods vehicle fleet, which is a renewable alternative to diesel that produces up to 90 per cent less direct carbon emissions compared to diesel. The fuel was introduced in June 2023 and has already saved more than 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Peugeot is the UK’s best-selling electric van brand so far this year, with its share of the electric LCV market increasing to 19.5% year-to-date as of September 2024. The new E-PARTNER has contributed to PEUGEOT’s e-LCV success as the best-selling small electric van in September.

Eurig Druce, Group Managing Director - Stellantis UK & Managing Director – Peugeot UK, said: “Peugeot is proud to continue supplying electric vans to Royal Mail, a partnership that has been ongoing since 2009, which is testament to the quality and reliability of our vehicles. Peugeot’s electric vans are built in Britain for an iconic British brand and we will continue to uphold this historic partnership and support Royal Mail’s electrification ambitions. Peugeot is equally committed to the electric transition, with the widest all-electric vehicle line-up of any mainstream European brand, while our leadership in electric van sales is proof of our technology and innovation in this market.”

Greg Sage, Royal Mail’s Deputy Director for Corporate Affairs and ESG, said: “We’re proud that our latest tranche of electric vehicles has been produced at Peugeot’s Ellesmere Port plant. This is an important part of our work to expand the UK’s largest electric delivery fleet and to remain the UK’s greenest delivery company.”

The brand currently holds this title based on average gCO2e emissions per parcel delivered by UK parcel operators, as published by Citizens Advice 2023 Parcels League Table.