Royal Mail will purchase 100 electric Peugeot Partner vans, to be used by postmen and women on their delivery rounds.

The vans will go into service from December 2017 at delivery offices around the UK, supported by a comprehensive rollout of charging infrastructure.

Paul Gatti, Royal Mail fleet director, said: “Our research has shown that electric vans are a good operational fit with our business and we are delighted to be ordering such a large volume to use in our daily operations. This is good news for our customers and the towns and cities which we serve. 

“Emissions are an important issue for us at Royal Mail and we are continuously looking at new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on air quality.  Improving the efficiency of our fleet by introducing electric vans is just one example of this.”

The Partner L2 Electric was launched in February and this is the first major fleet order for the van.

“With electric vehicles firmly on the agenda this week, there couldn’t be a better time to announce this landmark deal with the Royal Mail”, says PSA group fleet director Martin Gurney.

Its Lithium-ion battery pack is fitted under the load floor, ensuring there is no loss of load space compared with petrol and diesel-powered models. The Partner L2 Electric will carry a gross payload of 552kg.

The motor develops 67PS and the batteries offer a range of up to 106 miles, measured on the NEDC cycle. Re-charging to 80% capacity takes 30 minutes from a dedicated rapid charge point.