FedEx Deploys EVs For Zero Emission Last-mile Delivery In India

FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, is deploying 30 TATA Ace EVs in Delhi as part of its goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040.

Introducing electric vehicles (EV) marks a critical milestone for FedEx, as the company plans to transform its entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles by 2040. 

FedEx has a goal of converting 50 per cent of its global pickup and delivery vehicle purchases to electric by 2025, with that increasing to 100 per cent by 2030. 

Last year, the company conducted EV trials in India to test the vehicle technology and assess the vehicles’ operational effectiveness on a standard route fully loaded with packages. Based on these trials, each new electric vehicle added to the FedEx fleet is estimated to save up to 1.3 tons of carbon Emissions annually.

Suvendu Choudhury, Managing Director of FedEx Express India Operations, said, “The increasing popularity of e-commerce means transforming our operations to be more sustainable is more important than ever. The electrification of our fleet will go a long way towards minimizing carbon emissions in our operations while at the same time sustainably delivering to the same service standards,”

Electric vehicles provide a technologically advanced, clean, and smart solution for e-cargo mobility. Its container is made of light-weight, durable materials that suits the logistic industry demands.

According to the research commissioned by FedEx, nine out of ten consumers in India expect businesses to deliver sustainably and those with sustainable operations are likely to get more business. Eight out of ten prefer to buy from companies with an effective environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy in place.

In 2003, FedEx was the first delivery company in the world to use hybrid vehicles for pickup and delivery and, in 1994, the company used its first electric vehicle – an acid battery-powered vehicle in California. FedEx has been a vocal advocate for improved fuel efficiency standards and policies to support the commercial deployment of alternative-fuel vehicles.