DPD Portugal reinforces its commitment to the sustainability of its business, announcing the third phase of the decarbonization process of its fleet with the investment in the purchase of 80 Ford E-Transit, 100% electric vans, until the end of the year. The new vehicles join the current fleet of fully electric vehicles, which totals 207 vehicles in 14 cities from North to South of the country.
This investment continues the process of transforming DPD’s fleet in Portugal, which is one of the main measures of the sustainability strategy defined by Geopost and with which the last mile company intends to be Net Zero by 2040, bringing forward compliance with the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement by 10 years, guaranteeing a 90% reduction in polluting emissions, with the remaining 10% being offset through other measures and projects implemented by the Group.
„DPD is aware of the environmental impact of its activity and the delivery sector as a whole, and is therefore committed to being at the forefront of sustainability. This new investment reaffirms our mission to decarbonize the domestic express transport market, as drivers of greener mobility and a more sustainable plane",
says Olivier Establet, CEO of DPD Portugal.
The choice of vehicles was based on their distinctive characteristics: more than 300 kilometers of autonomy, and up to 15.1 m3 of load capacity as well as advanced connectivity solutions, which made the Ford E-Transit the best-selling vehicle in its segment in 2023 in Europe and the ideal response to companies' current mobility needs.
For Marta Henríquez, Director of Ford Pro for Spain and Portugal:
“With productivity and sustainability as the main axes of both companies, Ford Pro is proud to be able to collaborate with DPD in its objective of maximizing innovation in its fleet. To achieve this, we rely on the range of commercial vehicles that have been sales leaders in Europe over the last nine years, spearheaded by the E-Transit, the best-selling two-ton electric vehicle in Europe in 2023.”
The process of decarbonizing the DPD fleet began in 2019 with the incorporation of 55 electric vehicles in Lisbon. Currently, the leading company in the domestic express transport market already has 30% of its fleet electric. With the investment planned for this year, it is expected that this percentage will grow to 35%, thus becoming available in circulation in Lisbon, Porto, Seixal, Guarda, Coimbra, Évora, Viseu, Leiria, in Faro and Funchal.
Ford: firm commitment to electrification
As shown in the Vans in the City study carried out by Ford Pro in conjunction with Reuters and published in 2023, between 2010 and 2019 there was a 20-35% increase in congestion in cities, and more than half - 53% - of companies point to traffic jams as the main problem of urban logistics, in addition to the high cost in terms of carbon emissions. To avoid this, the massive electrification of transport and the use of connectivity are fundamental if the objective is to achieve more sustainable and decongested cities.
According to the Vans In The City report, electric vehicles are already leading compared to combustion vehicles with 54.3% versus 40% in purchase intention in the next 24 months. The switch to the electric vehicle is due, first and foremost, to the need to reduce polluting emissions, but significant economic and operational benefits are also contemplated: 63.9% consider that the electric commercial vehicle will have lower operating costs, and the 41.7% wait to have better access to the areas where they can deliver.
Ford Motor Company's global success story in achieving carbon neutrality has its roots in RouteZero, a global coalition to curb global warming. In the case of Europe, Ford announced in 2022 that its objective is to achieve net zero emissions in all vehicle sales in the region and carbon neutrality in its facilities, logistics and Ford suppliers by 2035. For that year, 100 % of the manufacturer's vehicles, sales, as well as all its production activities, will have zero impact on the carbon footprint.
--
About DPD Portugal
DPD Portugal, the leading company in the domestic express transport market, has 14 hubs (Vila Real, Porto, Maia, Guarda, Viseu, Coimbra, Leiria, Torres Novas, Lisbon, Seixal, Cacém, Évora, Faro and Funchal) and is close to 1000 daily delivery routes. It employs 1,400 employees.
DPD combines innovative technology and local knowledge to provide a flexible, easy-to-use service for shippers and consignees. With its Predict service and a network of more than 1500 Pickup parcel shops, DPD sets a new standard for convenience, keeping customers in direct contact with their parcel
About Ford
a global American brand established in the fabric of Europe for more than 100 years, is committed to the freedom of movement that goes hand in hand with caring for the planet and its inhabitants. The company's Ford+ plan, with its Model e, Ford Pro and Ford Blue business units, is accelerating its European transformation towards an all-electric, carbon-neutral future by 2035. The company is moving forward with bold new vehicles trams, each designed for European drivers and innovating with services to help people connect, communities grow and businesses thrive. Selling and servicing Ford vehicles in 50 individual European markets, operations also include Ford Motor Credit Company, the Ford Customer Support Division and 14 manufacturing facilities (eight owned and six unconsolidated joint ventures) with four centers based in Cologne , Germany; Valencia, Spain and in our joint venture in Craiova, Romania and Kocaeli, Türkiye. Ford employs approximately 34,000 people at its own facilities and at its consolidated joint ventures, and approximately 56,000 people including unconsolidated companies across Europe.
More information about the company, its products and Ford Credit at corporate.ford.com.
