Almost half (46%) of Londoners would choose a retailer that uses electric vans for deliveries over a firm using diesel or petrol power, new research reveals.
Just one in 20 people (5%) said they would prefer deliveries to come from a petrol or diesel van.
The research, commissioned by electric courier startup Packfleet, surveyed Londoners’ views on air quality in the capital.
It revealed the strength of public demand for more green delivery methods – despite most respondents not realising the deadly health impact of urban pollution.
A summary of the survey’s other findings:
- Nine in ten (91%) wanted to see an increase in green deliveries
- Nearly two in three (65%) wanted those green deliveries to reduce air pollution
- Two in five (38%) wanted green deliveries to reduce noise pollution
- More than one in three (37%) felt green deliveries would end up being cheaper anyway due to fuel inflation
- More than two in three of those surveyed (70%) supported more EV deliveries to help the UK move away from petrol and diesel vehicles
- The survey found just one in five (22%) thought companies using petrol and diesel delivery vehicles should be allowed to pass on inflationary costs to customers
- Fewer than one in four people (23%) knew how many pollution-related deaths there are in London each year (4,000 as reported by the Greater London Authority)
- More than half of respondents (52%) said that the high price of electric vehicles was a barrier to clean air while two in five (40%) said the number of charging points was a barrier
More than 4 billion parcels are sent in the UK each year and in London, a daily army of small vans drive past schools, nurseries and packed pavements polluting as they drop off their many deliveries.
The United Nations has recently said clean energy and technology like electric vehicles should be exploited to avoid the growing climate disaster.
As London faces unprecedented levels of air pollution and Mayor Sadiq Khan presses ahead with plans to clear the capital’s air through an extended Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), public demand for green deliveries has never been more urgent.
Legacy courier companies are proving slow to move away from petrol and diesel delivery vehicles (DPD has currently electrified less than half its fleet), leaving room for disruptors to lead the charge.
Packfleet was founded in 2021 with electrification at the heart of its mission. The innovative delivery startup runs an all-electric vehicle (EV) fleet – with every van being charged by renewable energy – and plants a tree for every parcel it carries.
Tristan Thomas, CEO of Packfleet who commissioned the report, said: “I’m a Londoner and have a young family and want them to breathe clean air.
“It’s heartening that so many people feel the same way and plan to make choices on green delivery based on their conscience as much as their pocket.
“Every day we speak to businesses wanting to be less harmful to the planet, it’s not only what customers want, but it’s also the right thing to do.
“The EV journey is already well underway – by now green deliveries should be a norm in our industry. Customers and businesses alike are calling for the courier industry to change its ways, and Packfleet is leading the charge. We shouldn’t have to wait until the end of the decade to see clean air.”
