11. June 2020 | Press release
DPD Switzerland banks on electromobility with new electric truck
Buchs, 11 June 2020 - DPD Switzerland is committed to the environment and relies on electricity for the parcel delivery. Already today, every parcel delivered by DPD is carbon neutral – at no extra cost to customers. From December onwards, DPD will go even further with the use of an all-electric truck featuring the largest battery available in Europe and boasting a range of up to 760 km per battery charge.
DPD Switzerland placed the order with the Swiss company Designwerk Products AG in Winterthur for
a Futuricum Logistics 18E fully-electric truck. This will be delivered by mid-December 2020 at the latest and will initially be used for the journey between the DPD depot in Möhlin (AG) and the sorting centre in Buchs (ZH).
"I am pleased that DPD Switzerland is one of the first companies to use this innovative new Swiss electric truck," says Tilmann Schultze, CEO of DPD Switzerland. "When the electric truck starts driving in December, it will be like an early Christmas present not only for us but also for the environment.”
A range of up to 760 kilometres
The Futuricum Logistics 18E electric truck was designed by Designwerk Products AG, based on a Volvo vehicle. With a storage capacity of 680 Kilowatt hours (kWh), the battery is the largest truck battery in Europe and is the first to be used commercially in this form worldwide. Thanks to the size of the energy accumulator, the electric truck has a range of up to 760 kilometres.
"In terms of range, the vehicle is also very competitive on long-distance journeys compared to hydrogen vehicles," says Adrian Melliger, Managing Director of Designwerk Products AG.
Due to its configuration, the electric truck can replace a truck with a combustion engine in its entirety and perform its operations without any problems throughout the DPD Switzerland network without the need for recharging.
"This is DPD's first electric truck that will be used on real routes and not on test routes," says Schultze. "Although the use of the new technology is a priority, the exemption from fuel costs and the exemption from the heavy vehicle fee still valid for the truck are fundamental for the implementation of this project from an economic point of view.”
The Futuricum Logistics 18E will first be used by DPD Switzerland for the Möhlin - Buchs route and must travel at least 80,000 km per year. The electric truck thus saves money, compared to an equivalent diesel-powered truck, about 90 kilograms of CO2 for a hundred kilometers. This corresponds to approximately 72 tons of CO2 savings per year. In the depots operated by DPD, it will also be recharged exclusively with Swiss ecological electricity.
About DPD Switzerland
DPD Switzerland is one of the largest private providers of parcel and express transport in Switzerland. With 900 employees and drivers, the company delivers more than 19 million parcels a year to private or commercial customers. In addition to its head office in Buchs (ZH), DPD is present in eleven sites in Switzerland and border regions. DPD Switzerland belongs to DPDgroup.
