DPD Nederland, international parcel and express service provider, has started 2011 with a pilot of CNG vans in collaboration with Holwerda Distributie en Transport. The parcel service provider will operate daily with three Mercedes-Benz CNG vehicles in the region Joure. These vans use the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology and run entirely on natural gas.
The pilot is an initiative of DPD Netherlands and Holwerda Distributie en Transport. Holwerda Distributie en Transport is responsible for the DPD parcel delivery within the catchment area of Friesland operating from the depot in Joure. “County Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe see a future in ‘green’ driving and because of that Joure is the ideal location for the CNG pilot. DPD wants to contribute to the realization of these counties’ ambition to have a hundred thousand vehicles running on sustainable fuels by 2015”, said Michael van Ooijen, CEO of DPD Netherlands.
By having vans run on natural gas instead of gasoline, it is possible to realize a reduction of 20 to 25% in CO2-emissions. The distance that the CNG vans can cover is around 270 – 300 km per day, depending on load, thus making them ideal for inner-city transport. DPD says this sustainable mode of transport is not only beneficial to the environment but also for the parcel service provider’s drivers, as they are thus less exposed to harmful CO2-gases.
This item compiled using information from a DPD press release.
