DPD expands electric van fleet to over 4,000 vehicles with first ones entering service this month
UK parcel delivery company DPD is set to take delivery of 341 new Mercedes-Benz eSprinters in September as part of its investment in more sustainable fleet solutions. These will be deployed within the M25 and across the UK and will take DPD UK’s EV fleet to over 4,000 in total.
The first vehicles will enter service in September, with all of the vans scheduled to be operational by the end of October. In 2025 DPD delivered over 85 million parcels on electric vehicles including a predominantly diesel free final mile service within the North and South Circular in London. Other initiatives include its involvement in the high speed, West Coast Main Line low carbon rail logistics trial with Go-Express.
Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability at DPD UK, comments: “Large panel vans are the workhorse of our final mile operation so the new eSprinters will give us the capability we need to support far more lower emission deliveries over a wider area. Our EV fleet currently operates in more than 7,300 postcodes across the UK, largely focused on inner city locations where we are able to increase the benefits of operating electric vehicles through a decrease in air pollution. The eSprinters can carry the same payload as the equivalent 3.5t Diesel while the new battery technology and improved range mean more of our depots can start deploying larger EVs further afield.”
“We started this journey in 2018 with the UK’s first all electric parcel delivery depot and the feedback from our EV drivers and our customers continues to be overwhelmingly positive. The advances in both the vehicle technology and the UK’s charging infrastructure have helped with the wider roll-out and ensuring we stay on course to meet our carbon reduction target.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Green retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
