Evri is making a multi-million pound investment in “pedal power” as it looks to up its sustainability spurs.
The UK parcel delivery giant is investing £19 million to fast-track the rollout of electric cargo bikes and electric vehicles (EVs) to deliver parcels and reduce emissions.
The plan is expected to mean that Evri becomes the UK’s biggest fleet of e-cargo bikes for parcel delivery. The business will grow its fleet of e-cargo bikes from 33 to 99 and electric vehicles (EVs)) from 168 to 270 within the next year.
The business says it also has plans to grow its fleet of electric cargo bikes to 3,000 over the next decade – as part of its wider plans to reduce carbon emissions across its network and become a net-zero company by 2035.
Evri has established a dedicated “final-mile electrification taskforce” which will spearhead innovative solutions, explore partnerships, and implement strategies to transform last-mile deliveries into a zero-emission operation.
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Evri already has electric cargo bikes operating in London, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge and the company currently delivers 1.5 million parcels a year, by bike or EV.
The business aims to triple that number to around four million over the next year. These deliveries are part of the more than 720 million parcels that Evri delivers each year – of which more than 99% are on time.
Evri CEO Martijn De Lange said: “Pedal power will rev up our efforts to reimagine parcel deliveries in the UK as we aim to become the biggest operator of e-cargo bikes in the sector. We achieved a 9% decrease in carbon emissions since last year.
“The £19 million investment announced today will lay the groundwork for Evri to dial up on its ambition to become the UK’s most sustainable parcel carrier.”
In February this year, the Environment and Climate Change Committee said the UK government needs to tackle misinformation surrounding electric vehicles to ensure a “successful” transition.
