This cute “little” thing you see here is the
delivery van of the future, which will be used by the 500-year-old Royal Mail
as part of trials for electric-powered postal vehicles in London.
Supplied by a company called Arrival (formerly known
as Charge Automotive), the one you see here is the three and a half-tonne
version – one of three units that will operate out of Royal Mail’s Mount
Pleasant depot in central London. Six larger (six- and seven and a half-tonne)
electric postal vans (also from Arrival) will also be put into action alongside
the adorable vans.
According to reports from Independent and The Sun,
the electric vehicles can travel up to 161 km on a single charge, and are built
from ultra-lightweight materials. Despite that, the vehicles are claimed to be
priced the same as diesel trucks, making the switch to electric vehicles that
much more enticing, if the lower pollution and noise benefits aren’t enough.
The British government had previously announced in
July its intention to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040,
in a bid to reduce the environmental impact of the internal combustion engine.
As such, several manufacturers have announced plans to step up development of
electric vehicles to meet this potential ruling.
