Parcel delivery company DPD has announced it will add 300 new electric vans to its fleet by May.
The Nissan e-NV200 vans will triple the number of electric vehicles operated by DPD.
The firm said it believes the agreement with the manufacturer is the largest single UK electric van order.
DPD plans to grow its electric vehicle fleet to more than 500 by the end of the year, which it claimed will be the industry’s biggest.
The company’s chief executive, Dwain McDonald, said telling more customers that their packages are being delivered “emission-free” is a “key selling point”.
He went on: “This is a real landmark day in the move to a more sustainable future for the parcel industry.
“These vehicles are changing the way we work. It isn’t just a case of plugging them in and saying, ‘job done’.
“We are rethinking and re-engineering how we deliver parcels now and in the future with different route networks and new types of depots.
“It is an all-encompassing revolution for our industry. Electric, emission-free vehicles are at the heart of that vision.”
Mr McDonald praised Nissan for making “affordable, right-hand drive vehicles available in significant numbers”, but insisted “we can take far more if other manufacturers do the same”.
Neil Lancefield is PA Transport Correspondent.
