Evri is planning to deploy the UK’s biggest fleet of e-cargo bikes for parcel delivery as part of a wider £19m investment in sustainability.
The parcel delivery company is working to grow its fleet of electric cargo bikes to 3,000 over the next decade – up significantly from the current 33 on fleet. It’s also planning to expand its fleet of electric vehicles from 168 to 270 within the next year.
Evri has established a dedicated ‘final-mile electrification taskforce’ which will spearhead innovative solutions, explore partnerships and implement strategies to transform last-mile deliveries into a zero-emission operation.
The work is part of a wider goal to reduce carbon emissions across its network and become a net-zero company by 2035.
Evri already has electric cargo bikes operating in London, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge, and the company currently delivers 1.5 million parcels a year by bike or EV. The business aims to triple that number to around four million over the next year. By way of reference, Evri currently delivers more than 720 million parcels every year.
Martijn De Lange, CEO at Evri, said: “Pedal power will rev up our efforts to reimagine parcel deliveries in the UK as we aim to become the biggest operator of e-cargo bikes in the sector. We achieved a 9% decrease in carbon emissions since last year. The £19m investment announced today will lay the groundwork for Evri to dial up on its ambition to become the UK’s most sustainable parcel carrier.”
The expansion to delivering four million parcels a year by e-cargo bike could save carbon equivalent to the amount created by driving over 400,000 miles.
The company also plans to replace diesel vehicles used on its ParcelShop and SME collection routes, adding 148 EVs before its busy Christmas period this year, with a further 122 joining the fleet in spring 2025. This commitment will see electric vans account for over half of its ParcelShop drop-offs and collections. Evri will also continue expansion of its own EV charging infrastructure, helped by investment of over £1m across its depot network and hubs.
This will be complemented by the significant expansion of its ‘out of home’ (OOH) network, which currently spans more than 15,000 locations, such as Tesco Express stores and Post Office branches and is believed to be the largest in the UK.
Evri has already invested in renewable bio-methane compressed natural gas, which fuels more than half of its first-mile fleet and reduces carbon emissions by up to 84%. The company also uses other alternative fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), as standard at its depot in Brooklands.
