Parcel delivery company Evri is fast-tracking the roll out of e-cargo bikes to deliver parcels and reduce emissions. It is aiming to grow its fleet from 33 to 99 within the year, with plans to up this to 3,000 e-cargo bikes over the next decade. 

The plans, which are part of a wider £19m investment in sustainability, will give Evri the "UK’s biggest fleet of e-cargo bikes for parcel delivery”.

The firm already has e-cargo bikes operating in London, Bristol, Oxford, and Cambridge. It says it currently delivers 1.5m parcels a year by bike or EV, with the aim to triple that number to around 4m over the next year. 

Each bike can deliver around 110 parcels in one go, it added, and with no tailpipe emissions, Evri claims a single parcel delivery by e-cargo bike can be expected to produce up to a 250g carbon saving alone.

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Martijn De Lange, CEO at Evri, said: “Pedal power will rev up our efforts to reimagine parcel deliveries in the UK as we aim to become the biggest operator of e-cargo bikes in the sector. We achieved a 9% decrease in carbon emissions since last year.

“The £19 million investment announced today will lay the groundwork for Evri to dial up on its ambition to become the UK’s most sustainable parcel carrier.”

A 2022 study found that van drivers and fleet operators see the benefits of e-cargo bikes - but concerns about infrastructure mean that most assume electric vans are “the logical next step” towards hitting the UK’s emissions targets.

Evri says its wider sustainability team has already delivered a 21% carbon reduction per parcel for the financial year 2023/24, with this down to 370g per parcel delivered. 

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Pauline Potter, director of procurement and sustainability at Evri, said: “Evri is committed to making a positive impact on the environment and delivering a sustainable future. Our multi-year ESG plans represent a significant leap forward, and we are confident that these initiatives will propel us towards our net-zero goal.

“We are not just investing in technology, but also in our people, empowering them to be part of the solution. Together, we can build a more sustainable future for the parcel delivery industry, as well as the communities we serve.”

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