TNT deploys electric delivery vehicles in the Netherlands

The express carrier will utilize seven of the new alternative-fuel trucks for deliveries in Amsterdam and Rotterdam as part of the Freight Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe program.

   TNT Express will deploy seven new 3.5-ton electric vehicles for deliveries in and around Amsterdam and Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
   The express carrier said in a statement the new e-Ducato vehicles, purchased from BD Auto, will conserve 24,000 liters of diesel fuel and prevent the equivalent of 76 tons of CO2 emissions annually compared to the current standard diesel vehicles operating in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The trucks have a range of 200 kilometers and a loading volume of 13 cubic meters.
   The new alternative-fuel trucks are part of TNT’s participation in Freight Electric Vehicles in Urban Europe (FREVUE), an urban e-mobility project supported by the European Commission. “FREVUE seeks to demonstrate to industry, consumers and policy makers how electric vehicles can meet the growing need for sustainable urban logistics,” said TNT.
   “The partnership with FREVUE is part of TNT’s corporate responsibility agenda and meets the objective of our Outlook strategy to increase efficiency and productivity,” said TNT Benelux Managing Director Erik Uljee. “To support zero emission transport in city centers, the authorities extend certain privileges to TNT such as exemptions from parking bans and access to closed areas outside loading and unloading times. With the three vehicles in Rotterdam and four in Amsterdam, TNT’s electric fleet in the Netherlands is nine in total.”
   “It is the ambition of the City of Rotterdam to have a zero emission freight transport in the inner city by 2020. This is formalized in the Green Deal Zero Emission,” added Pex Langenberg, vice mayor of Rotterdam. “We welcome the new electric freight vehicles as they will help to make the air in the city centre cleaner and decrease noise pollution.”
   The Netherlands-based TNT in April tentatively agreed to be acquired by FedEx Corp. for $4.8 billion. TNT reported revenues of 6.7 billion euros (U.S. $7.52 billion) in 2014.