The parcel delivery service DPD is again significantly expanding its electric fleet in the UK, this time just in time for the upcoming peak season. By mid-November, 381 new Ford E-Transit 3.5-tonne vans will join the company’s fleet to handle the expected record surge around Black Friday and the Christmas period.
With the new vehicles, DPD is increasingly focusing on electric deliveries outside urban areas. The latest E-Transits offer a greater range than previous electric delivery vans, making them suitable for the first time for longer regional delivery routes across the country.
This order complements recent fleet investments: Just last month, in September, DPD took delivery of 341 new Mercedes-Benz eSprinters. But Ford is no stranger to the company either, as the E-Transit has been in use at DPD UK since early 2022. In 2024, 350 new E-Transits were added to the fleet, which at that time consisted of around 4,000 electric vehicles.
Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability and Social Purpose at DPD, explains the decision to expand the fleet: “Ford is a strong partner for DPD, and we already operate a significant number of E-Transits. They have performed well for us over the last four years, while the TrustFord mobile service network also played a big part in us choosing Ford again. The enhanced range means we can now get more of these larger electric vans out on our longer routes, making a bigger difference in terms of reducing emissions.”
Craughan adds regarding the upcoming peak season, “This is set to be our biggest peak yet, so it is great to be able to say to customers that we will have more electric vans delivering on the road than ever before. We know this is a key issue for many shippers, large and small, and we are delighted to be delivering more of their parcels on electric vehicles.”
In 2025 alone, the company delivered over 85 million parcels using electric vehicles. Within the London orbital motorway, last-mile deliveries are already largely diesel-free.
