22-05-2023

Posti has started to use its first electric truck, a semi-trailer truck. Volvo's FM 42T Electric is Posti's first electric truck and a rarity on Finnish roads. In total, only a few such vehicles have been registered in the country.

The electric truck is the latest addition to the Posti’s fossil-free transport fleet. The company has previously had one medium-heavy electric delivery truck. This year, their number will increase to ten. At the end of last year, there were around 200 electric vans, and this number is set to rise to 300 this year. All the electricity used by Posti is renewable, so driving with electric vehicles is completely fossil-free. 

In addition, Posti has Finland's largest fleet of 29 trucks using liquefied biogas, or LBG. Six more of these trucks are being put into service this year. In addition, 12 medium-heavy delivery trucks running on compressed biogas (CBG) are in the pipeline, in addition to the two currently in operation.   

In October 2022, Posti announced a new roadmap for clean transport vehicles, which includes a plan to introduce up to a thousand new electric, biogas and hydrogen vehicles by 2030. 

"Our goal is to be fossil-free in all road transport within the next six and a half years. Last year we already drove more than 20 million kilometers fossil-free, and our rapidly renewing clean fleet will take us towards our target," says Anna Heino, Heaf of Climate and Nature at Posti. 

The new FM Electric electric truck will be seen both on routes in the Helsinki metropolitan area and in pilots for regular services between the PKS terminal in Vantaa, the Lieto terminal in Turku and the Pirkkala terminal in Tampere.   

"We are gaining experience with different fossil-free propulsion systems for all fleet sizes. We use fossil-free vehicles on a variety of routes, both for local transport in urban areas and for longer linehauls between terminals," says Ari Olli, VP of Transport Services at Posti. "For example, we have already been using Volvo's 17-tonne electric truck to deliver freight in the Helsinki metropolitan area for about a year and a half, and the experience is positive. As fossil-free propulsion technology develops rapidly, their range and cost-effectiveness compared to diesel are improving all the time." 

The car has a battery capacity of 540 kWh and a range of over 300 km. Fast charging can be done with up to 250 kilowatts of power.   

The car is currently mainly charged at the high-capacity charging stations at Post's PKS terminal and the Pirkkala and Lieto terminals. In addition, the vehicle can already be charged at customer loading and unloading points, main road rest areas, petrol stations and other public charging points. 

Source: Posti