Australia Post launches its first electric trucks in Melbourne

Australia Post has added the first of 20 electric trucks to its national delivery fleet, with three Fuso eCanters delivering parcels to customers around Melbourne ahead of Christmas.

The Fuso eCanter adds to Australia Post’s existing electric delivery fleet of more than 2100 electric delivery vehicles and 1400 electric bicycles and follows the successful trial of the Daimler-developed truck in 2019.

Australia Post General Manager Networks, James Dixon, said the addition of the trucks to Australia Post’s delivery fleet was an exciting step for the organisation.

“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,” Dixon revealed.

“We’ve trialled a range of electric trucks previously, but the Fuso eCanter is the first we’ve found that suits both Australian conditions and our unique operational needs,” he said.

Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer, Susan Mizrahi, said 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 emission by 15 per cent by 2025.

“This is an important milestone for our business,” Mizrahi emphasised.

“We know that every delivery has a carbon footprint which is why we’re committed to reducing our emissions through growing our electric fleet and increasing our renewable energy production to help power these new vehicles,” she said.

Related: Australia Post, Qantas partnership offsets emissions from 108 million parcels

The Fuso eCanter is the only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) electric truck available in Australia and uses the latest technology from the Daimler Truck group.

Daniel Whitehead, the President and CEO of Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific, which represents the Fuso, Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands, said Australia Post was the perfect first Australian customer for the eCanter.

“Daimler is thrilled to partner with such an iconic brand as Australia Post on a journey towards carbon neutral freight transportation in Australia,” he said.

The remaining 17 eCanters will hit the streets delivering in major capital cities from early 2022, with the rollout of the new vehicles supported by Australia Post Fleet Management Provider SG Fleet.

Source: Australia Post newsroom