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E-mobility, not emissions: now in Geneva, too
As of mid-November 2023, mail carriers in the city of Geneva deliver all letters and parcels completely CO2-free using Swiss Post’s own electric vehicles. This brings Swiss Post one step closer to its goal of achieving carbon-neutral delivery throughout Switzerland by 2030. Delivery staff from Zurich and Bern talk about their experiences with the new vehicles.
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After Bern and Zurich, Geneva is the third city where Swiss Post is now delivering consignments completely CO2-free using its own vehicles. This means that, as of mid-November 2023, mail carriers will deliver almost 32 million letters and 2.5 million parcels a year to around 191,000 households in the city of Geneva using electric vehicles. This will enable Swiss Post to reduce its CO2 emissions by 576 tonnes per year. This is equivalent to travelling 72 times around the world by car.
Quieter and easier on the roads
A total of 210 electric delivery vehicles are now in use in Geneva, 76 of which are newly acquired. Swiss Post operates its e-scooters and four-wheeled e-vehicles with “naturemade star”-certified green electricity, produced in Switzerland from 100 percent renewable sources. As a plus, the electric vehicles are quieter in operation, reducing noise pollution for residents and mail carriers alike.
Rrezarta Beqiri, a mail carrier in Urdorf (ZH), and Visar Qerimi, a team leader and mail carrier in Ostermundigen (BE), are already using the new vehicle that has now also been introduced in Geneva. They know what awaits their colleagues in Geneva. “Driving is much easier for me now, because it’s an automatic vehicle,” says Rrezarta Beqiri. Visar Qerimi is also pleased about this. The downside for both is that the first generation of electric vehicles is limited to 80 km/h, which is particularly noticeable on the motorway.
Charge properly and attract attention
With more than 7,000 vehicles, Swiss Post has the largest electric delivery fleet in Switzerland. And it is set to expand further: delivery in the city of Basel will be switched to electric in spring 2024. From 2025, delivery by Swiss Post’s own vehicles in the cities of Biel/Bienne, Winterthur and Lucerne will be fully electric. Swiss Post has set itself the goal of delivering all letters and parcels throughout Switzerland carbon neutrally from 2030. And it wants to achieve its net zero target from 2040.
Team leader and mail carrier Visar Qerimi has a few tips for his colleagues in Geneva and the cities where the changeover is yet to take place: “It’s important that people are well trained in how to handle the charging process,” he says. “Just don’t lose the charging card and always make sure the vehicle is plugged in correctly.” Rrezarta Beqiri adds: “We’re much quieter on the roads than we used to be, so we have to make an effort to draw more attention to ourselves. People don’t automatically move out of the way, because they don’t hear us coming.” She also notes that customers in Zurich are pleased that Swiss Post is now using electric vehicles: “In the city, many people notice the green marking on the vehicle, and we often get positive feedback.”
