DPD UK orders 341 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter vans
Package delivery service DPD is expanding its British delivery fleet with 341 Mercedes eSprinters. The first electric transporters will enter service in September, and all are expected to be operational by the end of October, just in time for the Christmas season. According to DPD, this will grow its British e-fleet to more than 4,000 vehicles.
Image: DPD UK
The vehicles will be delivered by Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle dealer eStar, which operates six locations in north-west England and North Wales. The delivery of the 341 eSprinter vans is part of a broader fleet agreement, in which service via the UK Mercedes-Benz dealer network also plays a central role.
According to eStar Managing Director Steve Bridge, DPD considered the entire service life of the vehicles when awarding the contract – with availability and maintenance being key considerations behind the decision. Rob Dawson, Head of LCV at DPD UK, also emphasises the role of the partner: “As we continue to invest in a more sustainable fleet, having the right partners alongside us is just as important as having the right vehicles.”
Expanding beyond city centres
Large panel vans are the backbone of DPD’s last-mile delivery, according to Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability at DPD UK. To date, the company’s electric fleet operates in more than 7,300 UK postal code areas, primarily in city centres, where the elimination of diesel emissions carries particular weight. Thanks to larger batteries and extended range, more depots can now deploy large electric vans on longer routes. The new eSprinters are set to operate both within London’s M25 orbital motorway and in other parts of the country.
In the UK, Mercedes-Benz Vans offers the eSprinter panel van with 100 or 150 kW power output and battery options of 81 or 113 kWh energy content. Despite the heavy battery, DPD states that the eSprinter can carry as much payload as a comparable 3.5-tonne diesel van, likely due to a UK-specific regulation: electric vans may weigh up to 4.25 tonnes with a car driving licence, compensating for the battery’s additional weight. However, the company has not disclosed which configuration it has chosen.
Electric fleet growth slower than planned
DPD has been electrifying its UK delivery fleet since 2018, when the company opened the country’s first all-electric parcel depot. In 2021, its electric fleet grew by 750 Maxus transporters to nearly 1,500 vehicles. In 2022, a major order for 1,000 Ford E-Transit vans followed. At that time, DPD UK had targeted around 5,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2023, but by 2023, the figure had been revised down to 4,000. In summer 2024, the company reported an e-fleet of nearly 4,000 vehicles after the delivery of an additional 350 E-Transit vans.
Two years later, the fleet is now set to exceed the 4,000 mark with the addition of the 341 eSprinters. Mathematically, this would place the total closer to around 4,300 vehicles. However, it remains unclear from the current information whether DPD has decommissioned older electric vans in the interim or if the fleet was smaller in 2024 than originally announced.