Parcel delivery giant DPD has signed a deal to add 1,000 Ford E-Transit electric vans to its fleet this year.

The agreement with Ford for the E-Transit will expand DPD’s EV fleet to more than 2,500 vehicles in total

The agreement will expand DPD’s EV fleet to more than 2,500 vehicles in total, underscoring its pledge to be “the greenest delivery company on the planet”.

Deliveries of the new Fords will start in May and will see the 3.5t, 135kWh long wheelbase version of the E-Transit join the fleet, bringing 12.4m3 of load space.

The vans will operate from depots right across the UK network and reinforce DPD’s strategy to be the most responsible and sustainable city centre delivery company and a leader in the move to electric vehicles in the UK. In October 2020, it announced plans to go “totally green” on deliveries within 25 of the largest towns and cities in the UK by 2025.

Olly Craughan, head of sustainability at DPDgroup UK, commented: “Getting our hands on the electric Ford Transit feels like a really big moment. 3.5t vans are the workhorse of any delivery fleet, and we are no different.

“We’ve said all along that we need the main commercial van manufacturers to step up with affordable models and largescale production of right-hand drive vans to really get the EV revolution going in the UK. And Ford has done just that. The E-Transit is well priced, has a good range and comes with all the support you would expect from Ford.”

His comments come two years after DPD said that it was being hampered in its work to deploy more electric vehicles and called on manufacturers and the Government to do everything they could to encourage the development of more EVs.

Craughan added that DPD continues to get support for its drive to adopt electric vehicles – alongside all its other green initiatives – including from its major retail customers.

“They want to see their parcels delivered in green DPD vans, because they know their customers really appreciate it too. This order is a big step forward in terms of electrifying our whole fleet and becoming ‘the greenest delivery company on the planet’.”