Deutsche Post DHL modernizes its fleet of vehicles

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Deutsche Post DHL officially received the first Mercedes Benz Sprinters from a total of 1,300 vehicles at the Mercedes-Benz branch Cologne/Leverkusen today. The vehicles, which will be delivered and deployed in other German states by mid-2011, meet new environmental standards and are more ergonomically designed and safer. In addition to the delivery of the vehicles, the contract with Mercedes Benz includes such services as maintenance and repairs over the next nine years. Participants at the official vehicle handover in Bonn included the head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Volker Mornhinweg, the Head of Business Department Mail Delivery and DHL Parcel Thomas Zuber, and other representatives of both companies.

“The modernization of our fleet is an important part of our corporate strategy. These new vehicles will allow us to meet European standards, reduce emissions and thus cut the amount of pollution in road traffic. This makes them especially viable for the long-term in the sensitive, fine-particulate zones in German downtown areas,” said Thomas Zuber, Head of Business Department Mail Delivery and DHL Parcel at Deutsche Post DHL.

Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, echoed his enthusiasm: “We are very excited about this major order and are proud that such an important customer as Deutsche Post DHL relies on our vehicles,” he said.

Low-Emission vehicles

The 3.5-ton Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 310 CDI/4325 is equipped with a low-emission Euro 5 engine and will replace a major portion of the old Mercedes-Benz models in the fleet with Euro 3 engines. Compliance with the EURO 5 emissions standard ensures the reduction of such exhaust emissions as nitrogen oxide and soot particles from light passenger and commercial vehicles. Compared with the previous models, the new delivery vehicles produce forty percent less nitrous gases. The EURO 5 emissions standard is based on a European Union emissions directive that was introduced in 2009.

The vehicles are also equipped with an optimized integral box body that allows for a very low back entry, which gives drivers more headroom when standing. All vehicles come standard with the latest version of the Electronic Stability Control program, a system that measures the weight and position of the load and makes optimal adjustments if the vehicle starts to skid. The Sprinters also have adaptive brake lights. During emergency braking, the brake lights blink rapidly to give vehicles behind an extra warning, a feature that may help reduce rear-end collisions.

For Deutsche Post DHL, the deployment of the new vehicles is another important element of its GoGreen Program, which aims at improving carbon efficiency by thirty percent by 2020. The company launched the GoGreen climate protection program in 2008 with the objective of reducing the carbon emissions it generates per letter and parcel, per ton of freight and square meter of storage space. To help accomplish this ambitious goal, the Group has been gradually replacing its air and ground fleets, working on projects for alternative vehicles, and training its drivers in fuel-efficient driving methods.