DHL Adds Electric Delivery Van Fleet for US Markets

(Photo Credit: DHL)

DHL plans to add a fleet of 63 electric delivery vans from equipment manufacturer Workhorse for the express service provider’s United States markets. The move supports DHL’s goal to get their logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050.

These new vehicles, Workhorse’s NGEN-1000 electric delivery cargo vans, can go as far as 100 miles on a single charge and each have 1,008 cubic feet of cargo capacity. DHL describes the vans as having ultra-low floors that reduce physical stress for workers, and a high roof design to maximize space within a small footprint.

DHL’s alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) fleet already includes hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, and “clean” diesel. By 2025, the company aims to operate 70% of their first- and last-mile delivery services with “clean transport modes.”

In 2019, nearly 30% of DHL’s new vehicles will be alternative fuel, according to Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express US. “Throughout the United States, DHL has proactively sought opportunities in select markets where we can implement AFV fleets that will help us reach our clean transport goals while continuing to provide a superior service experience,” he said.

In order to get to zero logistics-related emissions by 2050, a commitment DHL made in 2017, the company launched an environmental protection program called GoGreen that calls for achieving four interim milestones:

• Increase the carbon efficiency of its own activities and those of its transport subcontractors by 50% compared with the 2007 baseline
• Operate 70% of its own first- and last-mile services with clean pickup and delivery solutions, such as by bike and electric vehicle
• Generate more than 50% of sales from products and services incorporating Green Solutions
• Train and certify 80% of its employees as GoGreen specialists and involve them in its environmental and climate protection activities, which includes joining partners to plant one million trees each year

As a member of the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, DHL’s parent company Deutsche Post DHL Group wants to help make electric transport the new normal by 2030.

The first 30 NGEN-1000 vans in DHL’s new fleet will be rolled out in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the logistics company.

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