DPD Switzerland is working continuously to electrify its fleet. Besides switching to e-vans for shorter-distance routes and last-mile delivery, the parcel service provider is making systematic use of green energy in the trucks that travel between its depots. Since early February 2023, DPD Switzerland has been using electric trucks in its line operations between the depot in Giubiasco and its major sites in German-speaking Switzerland.
The e-trucks developed by Designwerk Products in Winterthur feature batteries with a capacity of 900 kWh and an average range of around 600 km. An electric DPD truck travelled 1’099 km on one battery charge at the Contidrom in Hanover in 2021, securing a place in the Guinness World Records and demonstrating the usefulness of e-trucks in line operations in impressive fashion.
Almost three decades after the adoption of the Alpine Initiative, electric trucks are an energetic and acoustic paradigm shift in transalpine road haulage. With a total load of up to 38 tonnes, the trucks travel almost silently through Alpine passes that usually echo with the sound of transit traffic.
DPD is currently using six e-trucks throughout Switzerland, and this number is set to rise gradually over the next few months. As things currently stand, DPD’s fleet of around 850 vehicles is 15 % electrified and its target of 20 % by the end of the year is within reach. DPD is aiming to have an entire fleet of zero-emission vehicles, 90% of which will be electric, by 2030. The remaining vehicles will likely have alternative zero-emission drives and be used for extremely long routes. DPD aims to reduce its total CO2 emissions by 75 % by 2030 (the baseline is 2020).
DPD trucks on the north-south axis
Brand: DW E-Truck Logistics 18E
Manufacturer: Designwerk, Winterthur
Engine power: 500 kW
Battery capacity: 900 kWh
Charging capacity: up to 350 kWh
Axles: 2
Permissible total truck weight: 20 t
Payload: 7 t
Permissible total load (with trailer): 42 t
Length: 9.8 m
Source: DPD
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