Where are Rudolph, Donner, Blitzen and the rest of the team when you need them? Santa’s twelve reindeer-powered sleigh is a low-emission, environmentally friendly way of getting your Christmas parcels delivered. Well, apart from tidying up the occasional pile of reindeer droppings.
Back in the real world, this Christmas, the vast majority of parcels in the UK will be delivered by petrol and diesel-powered vans. Between Black Friday and Christmas Eve, parcel volumes are predicted to rise to 1.3 billion, that’s 11% up on 2024. All of which is likely to push vehicle emissions to a record high.
Lest we get too gloomy at this time of festive fun, there is brighter environmental news on the horizon. Year-to-date sales of electric vans are up 50%. There are predictions that the falling cost of ownership coupled with increased charging points, will make electric vans a clear commercial win for fleet operators.
Talking to industry publication, ‘Van Fleet World’, a spokesman for parcel delivery company, Hived, which operates a 100% electric fleet said: “We’ve shown that all-electric delivery isn’t a premium option, it’s a smarter, cleaner, and increasingly economical one. In dense urban areas, electric fleets already outperform diesel on efficiency and cost per drop. With the right collaboration between retailers, fleet operators, and city planners, the UK can make a clean Christmas a reality within the decade.”