One million kilometers purely electric every year – over 4,000 electric vehicles are already in use across Austria
Vienna/Innsbruck (OTS) – A year ago, the Austrian Post announced emission-free delivery in Innsbruck, and now the change has taken place: As of now, 145 electric postal vehicles are on the road in Innsbruck. Parcels, letters, print media and advertising mail are delivered emission-free over the last mile. Green electricity from Austria is used to operate the electric vehicles.
„With the so-called Twin Transition, we are tackling two important changes together, namely the transition to a more sustainable economy and at the same time the transition to a digital society. It is important to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization and thus find innovative solutions in order to be fit for the future. With the 145 electric vehicles and 126 charging stations in Innsbruck, which are powered by green electricity, the post office is taking a decisive step towards a digital and sustainable future.
“, said State Secretary for Digitalization, Florian Tursky.
„We have kept our sustainability promise and are now starting green delivery in Innsbruck! Regardless of whether it is an online order, a letter from the authorities or a leaflet with important offers, our e-fleet ensures CO2-free delivery in every case. We will now cover around one million kilometers in Innsbruck every year using purely electric power, thereby saving almost 100,000 liters of diesel.
“, explains Peter Umundum, Board Director for Parcel & Logistics, Österreichische Post AG.
Parcel delivery takes place directly from the Tyrol logistics center in Vomp. Letters, print media and advertising mail are delivered from three delivery bases in the Innsbruck city area. In total, the post office has set up 126 charging stations and put 145 electric vehicles into operation. The total investment costs amount to around four million euros.
Test operation of all-wheel drive vehicles with fossil-free fuel
The post office is introducing another innovation when it comes to mountain deliveries: in the cadastral communities of Hötting and Hungerburg, which are part of Innsbruck, two all-wheel drive vehicles are required for year-round delivery. Since there are currently no electrically powered commercial vehicles with four-wheel drive on the market, the post office is fueling these two delivery vehicles with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils (HVO) for the first time. This is a renewable fuel that can be produced from waste, fats, vegetable residues and vegetable oils. According to the manufacturer, up to 90 percent of CO2 emissions can be saved over the product life cycle compared to fossil diesel. The two vehicles are clearly recognizable as carriers of this bridging technology thanks to stickers attached.
The Post expects that the first electric all-wheel drive commercial vehicles will be available at the end of the year and that the last two combustion vehicles in Innsbruck will then be phased out.
The Swiss Post’s e-fleet is growing to over 4,000 e-vehicles
With the implementation of the “Green Innsbruck” the postal service also put its 4,000th electric vehicle into operation. The Swiss Post’s e-fleet is not only by far the largest in the country, it is also continuing to grow rapidly. Since spring 2022, only electric vehicles have been purchased for delivery, and around 1,000 new electric vehicles are added every year. The Austria-wide e-fleet consists of 1,052 e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, e-mopeds and e-trikes as well as 2,970 e-vans. By 2030, the postal service will convert its entire delivery fleet of 10,000 vehicles to electric drive and deliver all shipments completely emission-free.
The Swiss Post already produces some of the electricity required for this itself: 27 photovoltaic systems with an output of around 9 megawatt peak (MWp) have been built across Austria, including the photovoltaic system at the Tyrol logistics center, which already has an output of almost 2.3 MWp. The Austria-wide expansion of a further 11 MWp is already planned. Only green electricity from Austria is purchased.
Questions & Contact:
Austrian Post AG
Ingeborg Gratzer
Head of Press & Internal Communications
+43 57767 – 32010
presse@post.at