London Mayor Boris Johnson has welcomed recent moves by courier firm Hermes to slash emissions via the use of a fleet of 44 electric vans.
The vehicles – all 100% electric Renault Kangoo ZEs – have been in use since May on the fleet of Gnewt Cargo, an electric-only parcel delivery operator Hermes uses for final-mile operations in the city.
By switching the final-mile work to Gnewt, which has an inner city hub (as opposed to the two previous providers whose hubs were outside London), Hermes has not only cut final-mile emissions to zero (from 146 tonnes of carbon a year), but slashed the mileage involved in central London deliveries from a scarcely believable 330,000 miles to just 65,000 miles a year.
“Hermes is setting a fantastic example for London’s logistics companies,” said the Mayor. “By doing their bit, Hermes… is helping to create a cleaner, greener, more breathable air for every Londoner.”
Martijn de Lange, Hermes operations director, said the firm was “pleased to be able to contribute to the long-standing objective of creating a greener London”.
Credit must also go to Gnewt Cargo itself, of course, whose director Sam Clarke was among the speakers at the recent Quiet Cities global summit organised by The Hub’s colleagues at Road Transport Media.
Gentlemen, we salute you!