Hermes Germany plans to add ten eco-friendly Vito E-CELL vehicles to its fleet this autumntaking part in the long-term pilot project by the car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz to support the
development of new future technologies.This move follows the announcement of DPD Germany last week that it will put five Vito E-CELLvans into operation this year to be tested in daily use in the metropolitan area of Stuttgart,southern Germany.
The electrical battery-powered vehicle is the world’s first ex-factory battery-poweredtransporter which is perfectly suitable for inner-city delivery thanks to its innovative,emission-free drive system. Mercedes-Benz has now started series production of the vehicle.
Hermes said it is one of the first companies in the CEP industry worldwide to test electricvehicles under real conditions in daily operations. The joint pilot project is initially limited tothe city of Berlin and a period of four years. During the test run, fuel consumption and cruisingrange will be continuously monitored and additional information collected to optimise thetechnology.
“We are proud to implement the first ten Vito E-CELL vehicles worldwide for parcel delivery toHermes customers shortly,” said Dr. Philip Nölling, CFO of the Hermes Logistics Group. “Electro-mobility is an important key technology. Electrically-powered vehicles do not cause anylocal CO2 emissions or air pollutants, function quietly and reduce significantly crude oil-basedconsumption. We implement Vito E-CELL exactly where it proves itself the best: in the city witheco-sensitive areas where people and nature benefit the most from emission-free and noise-freetechnology,” he added.
The deployment of electric mobility also pays off in economic terms. Comparing the currentdiesel prices with electricity costs, the costs are reduced by four to seven times. Users are thusmore independent from the volatile fuel prices. As an additional advantage, Vito E-CELL trucks nowreach a cruising range of up to 130 km/h.
Alternative drive systems are not new for Hermes. The parcel provider has consistently investedin testing alternative technologies. Hermes already tested the forerunner of Vito E-CELL between1993 and 1997 in Berlin in cooperation with Mercedes Benz. Other pilot projects followed withhydrogen-powered trucks (1999/2000) and fuel cell trucks (2001-2003).
These projects are part of the CO2 master plan of the company aiming to reduce CO2 emissionsgenerated from the fleet by 2% and at depots by 3.5% respectively on an annual basis. Since 1994,Hermes has successfully reduced its CO2 emissions per shipment by 40% thanks to its long-term andefficient environmental management.
