THE ROYAL Mail has unveiled its van of the future - a fully electric model, and they take to Britain’s streets today.
Built from revolutionary ultra-lightweight composite materials, they cost 50 per cent less to operate than traditional vehicles.
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Nine fully electric vans have gone into service for the Royal Mail todayCredit: ARRIVAL
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The trucks are made from ultra-lightweight composite materials, which will slash costsCredit: ARRIVAL
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The vehicles have been made in collaboration with automotive technology company ArrivalCredit: ARRIVAL
Nine prototypes will operate from Royal Mail’s Mount Pleasant depot in central London.
They will be used to transport packages between mail and distribution centres in the city and surrounding area.
They have been produced in partnership with Arrival - an automotive technology company based in Oxfordshire and are the first to produced at the firm’s new 110,000sq ft factory in Banbury.
The trucks, which come in 3.5, 6 and 7.5-ton models have been optimised for inner city deliveries by using a battery that gives the maximum range to weight ratio enabling the trucks to produce zero emissions for up to 100 miles.
They also comply with the Mayor of London’s Direct Vision Standard for lorries in the city making the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
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The first mail van pulled by a horse pictured in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, thought to be taken in 1980Credit: Getty - Contributor
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An early post van delivering mail pictured in about 1903Credit: Getty - Contributor
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A recognisable post van similar to the modern versions we have today - pictured in April 1912Credit: Hulton Archive - Getty
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A Royal Mail motor van pictured in April 1929 on the streets of BritainCredit: Hulton Archive - Getty
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A man paints on the new monogram, that we still use today, for Royal Mail vans after Edward VIII's abdication in 1936Credit: Getty - Contributor
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An example of every vehicle in the Royal Mail fleet lines up in London, arranged behind a horse-drawn mail wagon, last used in 1949Credit: PA:Press Association
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A 1970 Morris Minor 1000 Post Office van used in the Epsom districtCredit: Getty - Contributor
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A postal van is pictured parked near a large pile of unsorted mail during a postal workers strike in 1971Credit: Rex Features
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The postmistress of Ascension, a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean governed as part of the British Overseas Territory - pictured in May 1997Credit: Getty - Contributor
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A postman for Oxford pictured demonstrating new electric mail carts for city centres in February 2000Credit: PA:Press Association
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A Post Office train pictured in March 1987 - trains carrying letters for Royal Mail were withdrawn in January 2004Credit: Getty - Contributor
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A postal worker walks past parked Royal Mail vans in June 2007Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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A classic mail delivery van used by the Royal Mail to carry Britain's postCredit: Alamy
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Mail vans stand empty at the city's new mechanised sorting office at Newton Street, Manchester, during a strikeCredit: PA:Press Association
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David Whitby, 26, of Crewe, Cheshire, stands in front of one of two vans detached from the overnight mail train from Glasgow to EustonCredit: PA:Press Association
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Decades of post vans on display in the British Postal Museum Store British Postal Museum and Archive, LondonCredit: Rex Features
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The children's favourite - Postman Pat - with his branded Royal Mail van
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One of the many redesigns of the Royal Mail delivery vansCredit: Alamy
Paul Gatti, Royal Mail Fleet’s Managing Director, said: “Royal Mail is delighted to be collaborating with Arrival and pioneering the adoption of large electric commercial vehicles.
“We will be putting them through their paces over the next several months to see how they cope with the mail collection demands from our larger sites.
“We have trialled electric trucks before but not of this type of innovative design and look forward to see what additional benefits they can bring to our existing fleet of around 49,000 vehicles.”
Denis Sverdlov, CEO of Arrival said; “We are thrilled to partner with Royal Mail using our electric vehicles. Cities like London will benefit hugely from a switch to electric, in terms of both pollution and noise.
“Most importantly we are priced the same as diesel trucks removing the main barrier to go electric."
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