DHL Express Singapore adds 80 EVs

International express service provider DHL Express has added 80 electric vehicles to its Singapore fleet, in partnership with land transport firm ComfortDelGro.

Together with 10 EVs already in its fleet, DHL Express Singapore will have 90 EVs on Singapore roads by October 2022.

This eight-fold increase in the number of operational EVs will make DHL Express Singapore the first logistics provider in the country to transition to a commercial EV fleet of this scale.

DHL Express Singapore will be investing about NZ$9.194 million (SGD eight million) into electrifying its fleet over the next five years.

Part of this investment amount goes towards a five-year EV leasing and maintenance agreement with ComfortDelGro’s car leasing subsidiary, ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car Pte Ltd for 80 electric vans.

Another part of the investment will support the installation of 105 charging points across its service centres, and 25 more EVs of other vehicle types that will support other areas of operations, such as shipment distribution across its facilities – these added in the next year.

“We are on a journey towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 with a focus on clean operations,” says DHL Express Asia Pacific chief executive Ken Lee.

“As a leader in express logistics, we have a responsibility to guide and influence the industry to reduce carbon footprint across logistics operations.

“Globally, we have made significant progress in sustainable aviation with our partnership with Neste and bp on sustainable aviation fuel,” Lee adds.

“Today’s electric vehicle fleet expansion marks another huge step forward as we green our land transport.”

The new EVs will replace internal combustion engine (ICE) vans as part of DHL Express Singapore’s fleet renewal exercise to drive sustainable logistics and support its sustainability roadmap.

Aside from staying true to DHL’s sustainability commitment, the change to EVs is also aligned with Singapore’s 2030 Green Plan, which aims to put more EVs on Singapore’s roads.

“By transitioning to electric vehicles, DHL Express Singapore is set to eliminate a total of 323 tons of CO2 emissions yearly, and this is just the beginning for us,” says DHL Express Singapore managing director Christopher Ong.   

ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car chief executive Mary Ong adds: “ComfortDelGro Rent-A-Car and DHL Express Singapore have more than 20 years of partnership.

“We are therefore excited to be a part of its sustainability journey of integrating EVs into its fleet. We hope that with the leasing of that many Citroën ë-Dispatch vehicles to DHL, our partnership will grow from strength to strength.”

Cycle & Carriage is the authorised distributor of the chosen van model, Citroën ë-Dispatch.

Siemens VersiCharge AC chargers will be installed across DHL Express service centres by EV charger service provider EVOne for the EV fleet.

These EVs have 339km range and up to 5.3 cubic metres of cargo space with a payload of 1000kg. They can be charged from 0% to 80% in 48 minutes and are equipped with driver assistance features such as hill-start assist, an anti-lock braking system, and an electronic stability program – the features also enhancing the safety and driving experience for couriers on the road.

Smart charging points at DHL Express service centres will provide daily charging required by the EVs. These charging points have special capabilities such as an anti-EV hogging monitoring system, and an EV model or license plate recognition system which allows operations staff to make effective use of available charging points.

DHL is part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group which aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.