Australia Post has announced that it has introduced the first of 20 electric trucks to its national delivery fleet, with three Fuso eCanters already delivering parcels to customers in Melbourne ahead of Christmas. The remaining 17 eCanters will start deliveries in major capital cities from early 2022, with the rollout of the new vehicles supported by Australia Post Fleet Management Provider SG Fleet.
According to the company, the Fuso eCanter is the only Original Equipment Manufacturer electric truck available in Australia and uses the latest technology from the Daimler Truck group. The vehicles add to Australia Post’s existing electric delivery fleet of more than 2,100 electric delivery vehicles and 1,400 electric bicycles and follows the successful trial of the Daimler-developed truck in late 2019.
Australia Post General Manager Networks, James Dixon commented: “We’re very proud to be Australia’s largest electric fleet operator, but up until this point our electric fleet has consisted solely of smaller delivery vehicles that are used for the last-mile. The Fuso eCanter is the first we’ve found that suits both Australian conditions and our operational needs.”
Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer Susan Mizrahi added that expanding the current electric fleet was an important part of the Australia Post’s 2020-22 Corporate Responsibility plan and its science-based target to reduce scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2025 (from a FY 2019 baseline).
Australia Post concluded that any emission generated by the electricity usage from the Fuso eCanter would be offset through the purchase of renewable energy certificates.
Source: Australia Post
