FIRST-CLASS TRAVEL
As online shopping goes from strength to strength, electric vans are helping courier firms clean up their act. Simon Huck nall hits the road in a Citroën e-Dispatch to distribute a full load of emission-free Christmas cheer
PHOTOGR APHY LUC LACEY
Leicester hasn’t yet adopted an ultralow emissions zone, but in cities that do, like Birmingham and Bristol, e-vans pay no entry charges.
Not sure about you, but the familiar sound of an idling diesel engine outside my door normally corresponds with a debit, marked ‘AMZN’, from the family bank account. But this month, I fear, a near perma-rattle from successive vans outside chez Hucknall will be the soundtrack to our pre-Christmas period, as online ordering goes into overdrive.
We won’t be alone. With the tabloids warning of empty shelves spoiling our traditional December feeding frenzy at the shops, it’s no surprise that online deliveries will soar this year. According to parcel carrier Yodel, 31% of us are expected to do our festive shopping from the web, compared with just 7% in 2020. Whatever side of the great EV debate you fall on, the benefits of electrified transport to short-haul, multi-drop carriers making 100-plus deliveries per day must be considerable. Zero noise (technically, drivers should turn off their engines when delivering to you, but few do), lower pollution and, from a driver’s point of view, ease of operation, with no clutch pedal or gearshift to contend with 1000 times a day. And that’s before you factor in the cost of diesel at an all-time high.