leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 15:33
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - oldroverboy.

www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/royal-mail-buys-100-.../

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 16:10
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - RobJP

Buying 100 electric vans.

Run a fleet of forty seven THOUSAND vehicles.

That's 0.2 percent of their fleet being electric.

Somehow, I don't think the makers of 'normal' engines will be quaking in their shoes too much.

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 16:14
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - RT

Buying 100 electric vans.

Run a fleet of forty seven THOUSAND vehicles.

That's 0.2 percent of their fleet being electric.

Somehow, I don't think the makers of 'normal' engines will be quaking in their shoes too much.

It's an evaluation exercise - to find out where EVs work in their business and where they don't.

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 16:35
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - RobJP

It's an evaluation exercise - to find out where EVs work in their business and where they don't.

The article points out that they've already been running the vehicles in an evaluation : "The order results from Royal Mail's extensive trials with the new model".

Royal Mail have a fleet of 47,000 vehicles (bottom of the article). Even assuming they only replace them at 10 years old they are buying 4,700 vehicles a year. Of which 100 are now going to be electric.

Hmm.

If they'd proved themselves in 'extensive trials', then I'd have thought a fair few more than 100 vehicles would be on order !

I get the feeling that this is more a case of 'being seen to be doing something', rather than a real commercial decision.

Colour me cynical ...

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 17:20
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Wackyracer

I get the feeling that this is more a case of 'being seen to be doing something', rather than a real commercial decision.

That is about the sum of it, they bought a gas powered 18 tonner at work and a few Solar powered refrigerated trailers, all were sign written to show they were gas and solar powered (respectively) but, the gas truck was soon gone and the trailers relegated to dry box use only.

That is how is it with big companies, paying lip service to the public to show how they 'care'.

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 18:47
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - bathtub tom

I heard Luton council once employed cyclists to deliver documents to schools.

Having lived there until the '70s, I sincerely hope they only used them for the town centre schools, as Luton sits in a valley with steep hills either side.

I know, as I used to have a paper round and (sometimes) cycled to work in the town centre (cycling home was hard work).

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Thu 27 Jul 2017 21:50
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Steveieb
Not in the same league but my office bought a Piaggio electric van for mail delivery over a large site.
Often out of service or being charged we had to have a Vauxhall Combo diesel van on standby.

The batteries lasted eighteen months and were probitively expensive to replace so it went to auction and fetched £400 pounds.
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Thu 27 Jul 2017 22:13
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Vitesse6

Seem ideal for delivery duties, we are about three miles from the delivery office and the round continues a few miles beyond us. Current van probably spends more time in the lower gears with lots of stops and starts and I doubt if it does more than 25 miles a day.

I expect we will see a lot more of these in the next few years.

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Fri 28 Jul 2017 11:36
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Sofa Spud

Local deliveries would appear to be the natural territory for electric vehicles. The Royal Mail used to run a few electric vans based on milk-floats but technology has moved on since then and nowadays an electric van would have comparable performance to a diesel one. No need to keep stopping and starting the engine or no need to leave it ticking over, easier driving with no gears and there's no clutch to wear out either.

The German postal organisation has developed the Streetscooter electric van - I wonder of the Royal Mail is interested. . . . .

www.streetscooter.eu/

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Fri 28 Jul 2017 11:45
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Sofa Spud

It's an evaluation exercise - to find out where EVs work in their business and where they don't.

The article points out that they've already been running the vehicles in an evaluation : "The order results from Royal Mail's extensive trials with the new model".

Royal Mail have a fleet of 47,000 vehicles (bottom of the article). Even assuming they only replace them at 10 years old they are buying 4,700 vehicles a year. Of which 100 are now going to be electric.

Hmm.

If they'd proved themselves in 'extensive trials', then I'd have thought a fair few more than 100 vehicles would be on order !

I get the feeling that this is more a case of 'being seen to be doing something', rather than a real commercial decision.

Colour me cynical ...

In a sense there are two 'trials' goin on. One trial is the use of electric vans in comparison to diesel ones and the other trial is of this particular model of electric van in relation to other electrics that are either currently available or might be in the next couple of years. The electric vehicle scene is developing so quickly that an electric van bought today might be much less capable that what might be available in 2020. Maybe Tesla will turn their attention to vans, for instance.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 28/07/2017 at 11:46

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Fri 28 Jul 2017 17:16
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - concrete

I agree with some comments that large companies are being seen to be concerned, which is good publicity. I have some sympathy however, because if the new re-newable energy sources or electric vehicles are not up the job for commercial purposes then it is clearly folly to employ them. A business, first and foremost must be commercially viable to pay the bills and if this technology detracts from that then it won't be used.

In France recently I witnessed mail deliveries in several towns and villages, where an electric tri-cycle was used. Like a scooter only two wheels at the front and large pannier bags at the side. They seemed to whiz along very quietly and speedily and looked ideal for home or office delivery of mail. They looked the part and are probably manufactured in decent enough quantities to be well priced. Of course the main bulk of mail and parcels still probably goes via diesel trucks.

Cheers Concrete

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Fri 28 Jul 2017 19:28
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Avant

There's nothing new under the sun, is there. Harrods were using electric vans in London in the 1930s. Remarkably prescient given the following war and fuel rationing.

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Sat 29 Jul 2017 12:18
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Chris James

Hope i'm not in one of the areas served by them, our post already doesn't appear before 1PM, by the time these run out of charge and are abandoned for on foot delivery, it will be teatime before it appears.

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Sat 29 Jul 2017 13:13
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Vitesse6

Looks like it isn't such a new idea after all, found this on wikipaedia

One noteworthy variant, the CF Electric was introduced in 1982. It was the first mass-produced electrically powered vehicle based on a fossil fuel vehicle platform. It was built in partnership between Bedford, Lucas, Chloride Group and the UK Government on a 5-year grant scheme. The batteries were housed in a compartment below the floor and the traction came from a motor placed at the rear with a step down reduction gearbox coupled to the CF's standard differential, but turned through 180'. The motor control system was housed under the bonnet and a small diesel heater provided cabin heating. The system also featured regenerative braking, however this could be turned off as it was found that in wet conditions the motor could lock the rear wheels up in a similar way as applying the handbrake. Most were sold to government agencies, the Royal Mail and local authorities. However, with a price tag much higher than a standard CF, and battery technology at the time not advancing the government scheme wound down in 1987, and the model was withdrawn and spares for it soon dried up.

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Sat 29 Jul 2017 15:53
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Wackyracer

If I remember correctly Prince Phillip had one of those Electric CF vans on one of the royal properties.

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Sat 29 Jul 2017 23:12
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Sofa Spud

I wouldn't mind betting that those Bedford CF electric vans performed very well and were nice and quiet, only hampered by a limited battery range. From my memory the 2.3 petrol CF was very noisy and low geared compared to a Ford Transit although it was much more stylish with better ride and handling.

Edited by Sofa Spud on 29/07/2017 at 23:13

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Sun 30 Jul 2017 16:56
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Terry W
Companies whose users do a low daily mileage, lots of stop start, and can instal charging infrastructure etc are ideal test beds for electric vehicles.

Expect supermarket delivery companies to adopt them for similar reasons.

But right now it is very early days and performance needs be validated. Quite possible that in 5 years RM could have 1000. on the road.

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Sun 30 Jul 2017 18:37
leccy vans for Postman pat - Royl mail - Ethan Edwards

Try moving out of London. Our "morning post" arrives routinely at 5pm. Plus it's a three day thing. No delivery outside Tues to Thursday. Except for junk mail. Every time there is a parcel without fail it is card time and collect it yourself.

And we are 35 miles from London

Still better than living in London.

Edited by Ethan Edwards on 30/07/2017 at 18:38

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