NZ Post earns accolades

This story first appeared in the August issue of EvTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

NZ Post’s win as 2019 EVworld NZ Fleet Champion of the Year is “great” for the sustainability work it does.

“We’re trying to do things new and differently to make a change,” NZ Post sustainability head Dawn Baggaley says.

She says the award will help promote pride in what NZ Post does – “it’s very powerful”.

The company’s 450 small Paxster delivery vehicles make it the largest EV fleet in the country, with EVs a key part of NZ Post’s goal to become carbon neutral from 2030.

“About 38% of our emissions are from the ground fleet,” Baggaley says.

She says NZ Post now has five electric vans – four LDV EV80s and a Nissan e-NV200 – being trialled in different runs in areas such as Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, with the help of the Government’s low emission vehicles contestable fund.

Three smaller Renault Kangoo vans are also in use and an application for funding has been made for more.

Seven Hyundai Ioniqs and four Konas have also been purchased, and Baggaley says the data for those will be reviewed.

The fleet has grown to 193 vans and cars with the aim of being 100% electric by 2025.

Baggaley has driven an Ioniq and aims to have her own EV.

She’s among those Wellington residents without off-street parking so will be among the 14 roads to trial street charging.

NZ Post also trialled three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles in the Taranaki region in 2015, and a few of them are still left after the focus shifted to Paxters.

Couriers working for NZ Post drive their own vehicles, so the company is working with owner/operators to support their move to electric.

“Lots of new EVs are coming out,” Baggaley adds.

Asked about possibly using drones, she says that’s also being considered with much depending on technological development in that field.

“There’s been real growth in online shopping,” Baggaley says, pointing to a need for ‘last mile’ city delivery to suit.

NZ Post is also investigating changes in truck power, including electric drive trains, hydrogen and biofuels.

And it was third in New Zealand to get a science-based target appraisal to reduce emissions by about 30% below 2005 levels before 2030, to help keep global warming below the 1.5 degree threshold.

“We’re focusing on what we can do,” Baggaley says, adding the airline industry is working on what it can achieve in emission reductions as well for moving freight.

She says NZ Post will also look to encouraging its staff to switch to low and zero emissions transport.

“The challenge in New Zealand when we’re tech takers is in showing that if more businesses have plans like ours it would show the need for a certain number of EVs.”

That would, in turn, encourage more EV manufacturers globally to look at New Zealand and see a demand here, Baggaley believes.

“It’s important to show people that EVs work and to encourage others into them.”