Sunday - 05 July 2009

TNT launches £7m green fleet

Published: 13 May 2008 03:02 PM
Industry Channel: Transport & Distribution

TNT is bringing in a 100-strong fleet of electric vehicles in a bid to lower its carbon footprint and make TNT the “first zero emissions express and mail company”.

The Newton trucks, manufactured by Smith Electric Vehicles, are designed for urban areas and will initially operate from TNT locations in major cities including London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Northampton and Oxford. They are set to replace diesel equivalents over the next 18 months.

The £7 million fleet, which was introduced as part of the company’s global environmental programme Planet Me, will cost an average of £40 per week to run, as opposed to the £200 spent per week on diesel fuel.

As the vehicles are ‘green’ the London Congestion Charge is also wavered, and they do not incur road tax in the UK.

Vehicles run on four batteries and have a top speed of 50mph, with a 70-mile range from one battery charge

TNT is also trialling the battery-powered vehicles in the Netherlands, ahead of plans to roll them out across its wider European operations.

The express delivery company aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 1.3 million kg of CO2 per year.

Peter Bakker, chief executive of TNT, said: “Global warming is the biggest issue the world is now facing. As a transport company TNT contributes to this problem, which is why we are constantly looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

“State-of-the-art electric vehicles are a great alternative to those that use fossil fuels, especially in urban areas.”

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