Lower Mainlanders will soon see, but not hear, a fleet of new electric Purolator delivery trucks and cargo bikes on the road.
Purolator operates a fleet of roughly 400 courier trucks in the Lower Mainland region.
“A percentage of those would already be hybrid,” said Paul Merrick, Purolator's general manager for Western Canada.
Purolator will be adding five all-electric trucks and four electric cargo bikes to its Metro Vancouver fleet. Vancouver is the first Canadian city where Purolator plans to roll out all-electric trucks.
Merrick said the electric trucks are “significantly more expensive” than gas-powered trucks, but said the operating costs are lower.
Merrick said he didn’t know if Purolator qualifies for some of the subsidies the B.C. government offers businesses to switch to zero emission vehicles.
Asked if carbon taxes had any influence on the company’s decision to start switching to electric vehicles, Merrick said, “I think the answer to that is yes.”
One of the results of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a big increase in online shopping, which means an increase in package deliveries, and increased vehicles emissions.
“In addition to reducing truck traffic and noise pollution, the new all-electric vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas ...emissions by 24 metric tons per year (per vehicle),” Purolator said in a press release.
