Electromobility
Another milestone: the 2,000th electric delivery van is on the roads
Swiss Post has put its 2,000th electric-driven delivery van, a Renault Master E-Tech, into operation. The vehicle was symbolically handed over to the Head of LS7 Operations, Stefan Nolte, at Swiss Post’s headquarters in Bern by the Head of Post Company Cars, Nigel Storny. This brings Swiss Post another step closer to its goal of CO2-free delivery. This is satisfying not only to Logistics Services, but also to the Mobility Services Group unit, which is responsible for ensuring mobility for delivery and plays a key role in the development of sustainable logistics at Swiss Post: the Post Company Cars (MS4) business unit (BU) is responsible for vehicle procurement and management, and the E-Mobility Charging Solutions (MS5) BU is responsible for the charging infrastructure at Swiss Post locations.
Customer centricity in practice
Thanks to its extensive expertise in fleet management and charging solutions, Mobility Services provides its largest customer, Logistics Services, with a reliable mobility service throughout the year. This is particularly evident at peak times, such as during the festive season, when Post Company Cars ensures Swiss Post’s logistics performance by providing several hundred additional vehicles. Swiss Post now uses over 8,500 electric vehicles, making it the largest electric fleet in Switzerland. With every new e-delivery van, delivery becomes not only quieter and cleaner, but also more efficient and modern. “The Swiss Post Group is still on the right track in its transformation to e-mobility. The 2000th electric delivery van represents a significant milestone and underscores our long-term commitment to making mobility sustainable and future-proof – for internal and external customers alike,” says Stefan Regli, Head of Mobility Services and Member of Executive Management.
Accepting challenges with a great deal of commitment
Since 2010, Post Company Cars (MS4) has been consistently driving forward the electrification of the Swiss Post fleet – first with the legendary three-wheeled scooters from Kyburz and, since 2016, with electric delivery vans from various manufacturers. What began as a pilot project is now a central pillar of Swiss Post Group’s sustainability strategy. The procurement of electric delivery vans repeatedly poses challenges for the fleet service provider. There are still not many manufacturers in this segment who meet Swiss Post’s stringent requirements. The vehicles are in constant use: on average, a parcel carrier uses these delivery vehicles to deliver 200 to 300 parcels a day. For this reason, Post Company Cars orders the vehicles from the manufacturers with some special options. These serve to ensure the safety of the Swiss Post employees and to extend the service life of the vehicles, which are subjected to heavy use in all weathers. Another problem is difficulties with delivery on the part of both vehicle suppliers and the manufacturers themselves. Despite all the obstacles, the well-oiled team at Post Company Cars manages to meet the demand for vehicles at all times thanks to its high levels of experience and commitment. “The proud figure of 2,000 electric delivery vans shows what is possible when know-how, innovation and passion come together. We are proud of making an important contribution to the transformation of the Swiss Post delivery fleet,” says Nigel Storny, Managing Director of Post Company Cars.
The charging infrastructure for Swiss Post’s e-fleet is the responsibility of E-Mobility Charging Solutions (MS5). The unit now operates 2,800 charging points throughout Switzerland for various Swiss Post units. In close collaboration with IMS, LS and PostBus, MS5 is the partner for all Swiss Post charging solutions. Work begins with a requirement from operations (LS or MS) and a corresponding preliminary study, followed by construction of the system and commissioning. MS5 also remains the point of contact after that, and is responsible for monitoring, maintenance and reports on the systems.
The benefits in operations
From the perspective of Logistics Services, electrifying the fleet offers both operational and customer benefits. Electric vehicles are particularly well suited to the requirements of the last mile: their high energy efficiency, reliability on rounds with frequent stop-and-go and quieter operation support efficient and stable delivery in everyday life. At the same time, delivery with electric vehicles powered exclusively by certified electricity from renewable Swiss energy sources makes a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. This development strengthens the performance and attractiveness of the services offered by Logistics Services for business customers, who are placing increasing emphasis on responsible and sustainable logistics solutions. Electromobility is therefore a key element in reliable, modern and future-oriented logistics. Another reason for this is that electric delivery vans are now more economical in terms of TCO (total costs of operation) than vehicles with internal combustion engines.
