DHL Express announced the addition of six electric vehicles to its Malaysian fleet. These vans will be used for last-mile deliveries on highways throughout the Klang Valley. With this announcement, the company becomes the first in the country to migrate to a commercial electric vehicle (EV) fleet.
DHL Express deploys EV vehicles for last-minute deliveries
The new vans will be operational in early October, serving Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. DHL will add another 55 EVs by 2023, bringing the total number of EVs to 61. These will be distributed to other states across the country.
The fully-electric CAM EC35, like the internal combustion engine vans it replaces, has a cargo space of 4.8 m3 and a payload of more than one tonne. It takes eight hours to fully charge for a trip of up to 266 kilometres. Direct current (DC) fast charging (at up to 40 kW) reduces the time to 2.5 hours.
Standard features such as an anti-braking system (ABS) and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) improve couriers’ safety and driving pleasure as they finish their daily routes.
DHL has been creating its infrastructure to enable the roll-out at the same time. For example, smart charging outlets at service centres are meant to be scalable in the future to accommodate additional electric vans. DHL will save 48% on fuel costs and reduce CO2 emissions by 33% with the implementation of CAM EC35.
This effort is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s global goal of electrifying 60% of its last-mile delivery trucks by 2030, boosting its EV logistics portfolio and supporting its sustainability plan. By 2024, DHL Express hopes to have over 1,000 electrified vehicles throughout the Asia Pacific.
The transition to electric vans is also consistent with Malaysia’s National Automotive Policy 2020 (NAP 2020), which highlights the necessity of energy-efficient cars as the country works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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