LTB 351/20 – TERMS OF REFERENCE BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL FLEET AND THE CWU ON DEPLOYMENT OF AN ELECTRIC TAXI VAN FROM LONDON ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY

No. 351/20
1st July 2020

Dear Colleagues,

TERMS OF REFERENCE BETWEEN ROYAL MAIL FLEET AND THE CWU ON DEPLOYMENT OF AN ELECTRIC TAXI VAN FROM LONDON ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMPANY

Branches will recall LTB 454/2017 and LTB 641/2017 advising the Introduction of 100 LE2 Peugeot Partner Electric Vehicles across a number of Delivery Offices in the UK. For some considerable time, the issue of vehicle emissions, pollution and the impact on health, the environment and global warming have been increasingly coming into focus and have recently been at the international centre of attention, specifically in the UK.

There are circa 290 electric vehicles in the fleet that are currently testing the capabilities as well as the impact this will have on the grid to sustain available power. With an increasing number of Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZ) in cities across the UK, the challenge to reduce carbon emissions and help improve air quality in the communities in which we operate, is increasingly important to CWU and the customers we serve.

The department has been approached to further test a vehicle that is based on the London Taxi which has world-wide recognition for durability in urban areas and replicates the stop-start collection and delivery of the current light commercial vehicle, or LCV panel vans. The London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) have offered Royal Mail a vehicle ‘free of charge’ to test, which has a range extender (36 litre petrol tank) and is therefore suitable for longer routes & duties giving a total range of 340 miles and a pure EV range of 50-70 miles. Such a vehicle can deliver tangible benefits to Royal Mail whilst helping to reduce their overall carbon footprint. As the Zero Emission Zones expands and the focus on reducing our emissions, we need to have options available that offer a greater range than just pure electric. The purpose of the trial therefore is to help inform future purchasing decisions for electric vehicles.

The trial will only involve one vehicle which will be deployed at 6 sites across the UK for 2 weeks at a time. All units identified also currently have electric vehicles already based on site, so charging posts are readily available and will not impede upon the existing electric fleet. The vehicle currently offers access to the loading compartment which in this model, is via the nearside door but can be reconstructed depending on feedback.

Branches will also note that the loading compartment looks very much like the rear of a London cab which is due mainly to the purpose of the trial, i.e. the rear compartment can of course be stripped out completely with the loading door(s) being repositioned, depending on the feedback from the Drivers, around loading and access.

Ongoing information will be available and shared at the Joint Royal Mail Fleet Operational Specification Group (RMFOS) meetings. The trial will be jointly overseen and monitored by RM Fleet Innovation and the Environment Manager, who will provide periodic reports to the CWU both locally and nationally. The trial activity will be the subject of joint review 6 months after commencement and periodically thereafter, as agreed by the Royal Mail Fleet Operational Specification group (RMFOS).