DHL Express boosts fleet

MANILA, Philippines — Logistics giant DHL Express has brought in 18 electric vehicles into its fleet in line with efforts to cut environmental impact and promote green measures in its operations here and abroad.

At the start of 2023, DHL Express expanded its fleet by acquiring 18 e-vehicles, divided into 13 vans and five motorcycles, in compliance with its global commitment to reduce carbon waste.

According to DHL Express, the vans were made by Shenzhen-based BYD Auto Co. Ltd. – a car maker specializing in the manufacture of e-vehicles – and can travel up to 250 kilometers on full charge with a maximum load of 3.5 cubic meters.

On the other hand, DHL Express purchased the motorcycles from Ecooter Philippines. The units can go up to 140 kms and transport as much as 0.12 cubic meters of load.

DHL Express country manager Nigel Lockett said the additional units of e-vehicles would be used to deliver shipments around Metro Manila, particularly Makati City, Ortigas, Manila City and Las Piñas. At times, they will be deployed to ship products to nearby provinces such as Laguna and Pampanga.

“As a global leader in the logistics industry, we have an important responsibility in ensuring that we promote environment-friendly operations,” Lockett said.

“This new batch of e-vehicles furthers our journey towards greener logistics, powering a brighter and more sustainable future for our country, our customers and our people.”

Further, DHL Express senior director of Philippine operations Promod George said the express delivery hopes to convert a fourth of its fleet into units reliant on sustainable energy.

“This is another milestone in sustainability for our operations here in the Philippines and we will continue our efforts as a pioneer in the market. In 2023, our goal is to convert 25 percent of our fleet to run on sustainable energy, which will further reduce our carbon emissions and lower our operating costs,” George said.

Promod said the Philippine unit wants to contribute to its German parent’s goal of converting 60 percent of its fleet for pick-up and delivery to e-vehicles by 2030. He added that e-vehicles play a crucial role in the ambition set by DHL Express on decarbonization.

Apart from deploying additional e-vehicles, DHL Express expanded its Philippine operations by investing P254 million for its Ortigas Service Center equipped with solar panels, LED lights and battery-operated forklifts.

In 2021 DHL Express announced that it would invest a total of P7 billion until 2030 to fund its green measures, including the deployment of at least 80,000 e-vehicles for last-mile deliveries.