DHL Express Germany last week put 21 low emission delivery vehicles into operation under itsongoing “Go Green” project designed to reduce its environmental impact. Deutsche Post is already
using a total of 170 vehicles powered by natural gas for parcel delivery throughout Germany.The 21 VW Caddies are powered by natural gas and will be used at various locations throughoutGermany. They meet the strictest European environmental standards and were subsidized by theFederal Ministry for the Environment as part of a project to foster environmentally friendlydelivery transport.
DHL Express said that the introduction of the natural gas-powered vans would help to reducepollution caused by particulate matter and nitrogen oxides from traffic, especially in city areas.The vehicles comply with both current and future EU air quality requirements.
“The use of these vehicles is yet another step towards creating a sustainable andenvironmentally friendly transportation network. We are thus continuing to implement ourenvironmental guidelines,” explained Monika Wulf-Mathies, Managing Director Policy andSustainability of Deutsche Post World Net.
Although natural gas vehicles with high standards are more expensive to purchase thantraditional vehicles, they can already be more economical than the diesel vehicles now commonlyused in their first year of operation depending on the mileage covered – even without anysubsidies. Moreover, natural gas vehicles will pay less vehicle tax in Germany until 2018.
