The light duty Fuso eCanter truck has received the stamp of approval from NZ Post after a comprehensive six-month trial.

Over those six months, NZ Post has had an eCanter shuttling between its North Shore Operations centre and its Silverdale depot and the exercise has proven a resounding success according to the performance data report analysed by Senior environmental manager Maddie Ashby and energy manager Cees Ebskamp.

They hope the findings from their report will be helpful to other contractors within the NZ Post network as well as other companies in the delivery and transport sector.

Group sustainability manager Dawn Baggaley says the learnings will help enable NZ Post to roll out low carbon technology in the transport network.

An estimated output of 15 tonnes of carbon has been avoided during the six-month trial period.

“Over the course of a year, that’s roughly the same as removing seven passenger cars off the road,” Baggaley says.

What’s more, the trial resulted in large fuel cost savings – 77.3 percent lower than the diesel equivalent as well as carbon emissions savings, down by 86.5 percent on a diesel equivalent.

NZ Post received $239,948 co-funding from the Government’s Low Emission Transport Fund, administered by EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) for the eCanter and charger infrastructure.

NZ Post has a particular interest in smaller e-trucks, and the report suggests the Fuso eCanter presents a great opportunity to trial short-haul deliveries which are often hard to navigate around tight roads and streets for the larger fleet.

The report highlights NZ Post’s ambition to support its fleet “move to alternative technologies such as e-vans and e-trucks to help create a low-carbon future and realise the benefits they provide to the contractors (lower weekly costs) and the communities in which they operate (lower carbon emissions, less local pollutants and noise).”

NZ Post has one of the largest EV delivery fleets in the country, including more than 400 Paxsters – the award-winning electric delivery vehicles used by its posties.

As well, NZ Post launched the first hydrogen truck for commercial use in New Zealand in last July.

The Hyundai Xcient fuel cell electric vehicle will save 170 tonnes of CO2 per year from being emitted into our environment, displacing approximately 100 passenger cars.

The transport team are keen to explore options to expand the current run, and to investigate whether another Fuso eCanter truck can be trialled elsewhere in NZ Post’s delivery network.