The UK arm of DHL Express has added 50 new fully electric vans to its fleet as part of its drive to net zero carbon emissions. The firm says it will add 50 more by the end of the year and a further 220 more by the end of 2022.

The investment in zero-emissions vans comes as part of a €7 billion investment by Deutsche Post DHL Group to meet its Mission 2050 goals of net zero emissions in the next 30 years. By 2030 DHL plan to have 80,000 electric vehicles on the road and 60% of its last mile delivery fleet electric by 2030.

DHL Express is only to buy electric vans as replacements in the UK with the goal of having a 100% electric last mile fleet by 2030.

The vans will be mainly used for urban deliveries, but as well as London will be deployed in other major cities such as Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. In addition the carrier has signalled it is investing heavily in van charging infrastructure.

Richard Crook, Director of Fleet at DHL Express said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce the next step in our electrification journey with these new best-in-class vehicles. Both our vehicle and as importantly our driver training roll-out plans are now picking up speed as we start to electrify our fleet across the UK. By the end of the year we will have deployed more than 100 additional electric vehicles into our business with a continued and accelerating roadmap towards achieving our Go Green targets. Many of the UK’s major cities are working hard to reduce emissions and improve air quality and we plan to play a major part in supporting this. Long term we’re also investing in charging infrastructure so we can continue to expand our green fleet.”