New way Australia Post will deliver mail via electric motorbikes
Australia Post is tackling delivery challenges head-on with fully electric motorbikes in a bid to improve their services. See a list of where you’ll spot one on the road.
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Exclusive: Australia Post is tackling delivery challenges head-on with the launch of 175 fully electric motorbikes in a bid to improve their services nationwide.
From next month, the company will roll out the motorbikes out across 46 locations.
In NSW, they will run in Strathfield, Nepean, Edgeworth, Lismore, Murwillumbah, Katoomba, Bega, Broken Hill and Canberra.
In Victoria, they will operate in Preston, Pakenham, Sale, Warragul, Wonthaggi, Kerang, Dandenong, Nhill, Seymour, Dimboola and Seaford.
In Queensland, they will be in Mansfield, Nambour, Darra, Stafford, Brendale and Bundall.
In South Australia they will run in Victor Harbour, McLaren Vale, Seaford, Hackham, Strathalbyn, Kent Town and the Adelaide CBD.
The Northern Territory will see them in Winnellie and in Tasmania, they will roll out in Ulverstone, Kingston, Launceston, Eastern and Western Shore.
In WA, they will be at Mandurah, Walliston, Kelmscott, Palmyra, Joondalup, Bibra Lake and
The new electric delivery vehicles (eDVs) will add to its existing fleet of 5100 electric three-wheelers, push bikes, and trucks, as the organisation pushes toward its ambitious goal of reducing emissions by 15 percent by 2025.
Australia Post CEO Paul Graham said the decision to go electric comes in response to increasing demand for reliable and timely delivery services.
He said the motorbikes are designed to navigate traffic and challenging routes more effectively.
“These are the latest sort of state of the art electric motorbikes,” he said.
“They’re obviously more sustainable, have zero emissions and noise will be abated.
“But they’re also going to going to be safer in relation to some of the features that they have for our frontline team members.
“We still have a lot of areas where a motorbike is the only logical way of getting around and delivering small parcels, but these will see a significant upgrade over the current equipment that we have.”
The motorbikes, which can be used for about six hours a day, can be fully charged overnight, and reach speeds of up to 80km/h.
Since the launch of its electrification program in 2018, Australia Post more than half of all daily routes are completed using electric vehicles.
However, Mr Graham said there are still challenges when it comes to accessing charging stations for the electric vehicles on the go.
He said Australia Post is actively working to improve timely deliveries, responding to customer frustrations about delays on social media.
“The plans are to eventually have the whole fleet electric and phase out the petrol at some point,” he said.
“In Europe there are charging capabilities everywhere. We don’t have that here in Australia yet and there seems to be speculation as to who’s going to build it and how it’s going to get funded.
“I think it’s a broader issue, not just for commercial fleets like ourselves, but also for private vehicle owners especially in areas outside, of the metropolitan.
“There is a scarcity of charging stations and therefore we’re going to have to build that infrastructure, which is costly.”
Communication Workers Union’s National Secretary Greg Rayner said members played a key hands-on role in evaluating these new vehicles.
“This collaborative approach ensures the safety of our members and the public, while being fit for purpose for the specific terrain and communities they’ll be rolled out in,” he said.
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Originally published as New way Australia Post will deliver mail via electric motorbikes