LONDON — Royal Mail is getting some seriously futuristic new mail vans.
As previously reported by Engadget, Wired, and elsewhere, the British postal service has announced a trial of nine electric-powered vehicles in London and South-East England.
They’re made by British electric truck company Arrival and will come in three sizes: 3.5-tonne, six-tonne, and 7.5-tonne. They will be able to travel for 100 miles on a single charge.
Visually, they’re completely striking: Bulbous and hulking, with a huge front windscreen and windows for maximum visibility for the driver — and decked out in Royal Mail’s signature red.
But if you’re hoping to spot one of them coming up your driveway, you’re out of luck. The vehicles are being used to transport mail between distribution centres, rather than delivering the morning’s post to customers.
As Wired notes, Royal Mail has already ordered 100 electric vans from Peugeot, which will be used by postmen and postwomen. It has an overall fleet of 49,000 vehicles.
