The U.S. Postal Service is dipping their toes into the electric waters, but FedEx has announced plans to go carbon–neutral by 2040.
As part of the effort, the delivery giant is making an initial investment of more than $2 (£1.4 / €1.6) billion into vehicle electrification, sustainable energy and carbon sequestration.
On the electrification front, the entire FedEx parcel pickup and delivery fleet will be electric by 2040. That’s a ways off, but FedEx has a massive fleet that can’t be changed overnight.
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Instead, the company is taking a gradual approach as 50% of FedEx Express global vehicle purchases will be electric by 2025. Five year later, in 2030, all newly purchased vehicles will be electric. As this is going on, vehicles powered by internal combustion engines will be phased out and replaced by the new EVs.
The company didn’t say much about the EVs, but FedEx will be the first customer to receive the EV600 from GM’s new BrightDrop unit. As we reported earlier this year, the EV600 is a purpose-built delivery van that will have a range of up to 250 miles (402 km) on a single charge.
Besides switching over to an electric vehicle fleet, FedEx will continue to invest in alternative fuels to reduce aircraft and vehicle emissions. The company will also make their facilities more eco-friendly, invest in carbon capture solutions, and work with customers to offer end-to-end sustainability for their supply chains.
Getting back to delivery vehicles, FedEx joins a growing number of companies that are embracing EVs. Amazon is purchasing 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian and the first have already hit the streets of Los Angeles. They’re set to arrive in up to 15 additional cities this year and are part of the retailer’s goal of having net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Furthermore, FedEx rival UPS has plans deploy 10,000 electric delivery vans from Arrival in North America and Europe.
