FedEx Express (FedEx) has announced that it has deployed its first three electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This, the company said, is part of its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainable logistics.
The company shared that the initial phase of this eco-friendly fleet will focus on parcel pickup and delivery operations within high-traffic areas in the UAE.
The EVs introduced have zero-tailpipe emissions and, on a full charge, have a delivery capacity of 280 kilometres operational range. This extensive range, combined with the EV charging stations installed at FedEx facilities in the UAE, ensure that the vehicles can easily cover a full day’s route, making them an environmentally responsible choice for last-mile delivery solutions, according to the company.
The company completed EV trials in the UAE to test the operational effectiveness of EVs on a standard route fully loaded with packages earlier this year.
According to FedEx, introducing EVs in the UAE is part of the company’s wider goal of achieving carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040, with vehicle electrification being one of the key areas in this journey. By 2025, it has a goal to make 50% of FedEx Express global pickup and delivery vehicle purchases electric, with the aim of increasing to 100% of new vehicle purchases by 2030.
In the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region, FedEx deploys more than 400 EVs across eight markets, including India and South Africa, with the region’s largest EV fleet in China, to help increase the pace of decarbonisation, it said.
“FedEx is committed to innovating and leveraging technologies that enable us to enhance the efficiency of our operations, and provide a better and more sustainable service to our customers. As consumers shop more online, with sustainability factors influencing their decisions, integrating EVs into our operations helps meet the evolving preferences of our customers. This initiative also helps maximize the positive effects of reducing emissions and creating sustainable urban transportation, thereby supporting the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative”, commented Tayssir Awada, vice president of FedEx Express planning and engineering for the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region.
In addition to this, the company also recently launched a cloud-based carbon emissions reporting tool, FedEx® Sustainability Insights, which it said gives customers in key Middle East and North Africa markets access to historical emissions information on their shipments within the FedEx network. FedEx customers can then use the data to help make “informed decisions” on their future shipping strategy in order to reduce their impact on the planet.