Chronopost, the French express shipping and delivery service (part of La Poste), is going zero- and low-emission in Paris.

The company recently ordered 400 all-electric Voltia delivery vans (Nissan e-NV200 with an enlarged body), which is one of the biggest orders for the e-NV200 ever.

"Since mid-September, Chronopost has been delivering the entire city of Paris in low emission, electric or Natural Gas Vehicles."

"In practice, it represents 25,000 parcels daily in 230 delivery routes. The fleet of the express carrier is composed of 190 electric vehicles (Nissan with bodywork by the equipment supplier Voltia, cargo bikes and trolleys) and 40 NGV vehicles. The implementation of this initiative reduces 87% of CO2 emissions, i.e. 560 tonnes of CO2 avoided (99% of fine particles)."

Voltia specs (see details here):

  • range of 200 km (124 miles)
  • 40 kWh battery
  • 80 kW electric motor
  • Length 2.5 m, Width 1.5 m, Height 1.9 m
  • Payload 580 kg
  • Cargo space 8m³ (double the e-NV200) or 6m³
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Most of those EVs will enter service by the end of this year, while next year Chronopost will continue the switch in other cities:

"The delivery of the entire city of Paris is only a first step for Chronopost. By the end of 2019, 300 new low emission vehicles will be rolled out throughout the country. They will be complemented by a second wave of more than 200 new vehicles by July 2020, spread across 11 major cities: Strasbourg, Lille, Rouen, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lyon, Marseille and Nice and the outlying Parisian suburbs. The clearly stated objective is to deliver most of the French territory in the long term in a carbon neutral vehicle."

Source: avere-france.org

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Chronopost announces the delivery of the entire city of Paris in low emission vehicles

Paris, 2 October – Chronopost, the French leader in the express delivery of parcels weighing less than 30 kilograms, has been delivering the entire city of Paris since mid-September with low emission vehicles. A first for a global capital and a carrier of this size. Martin Piechowski, President of Chronopost, also presents a new hypra-urban site concept multiplying services to consignees.

« Today, we are opening a new chapter in the way our transport industry supports its customers’ expectations and is part of what is known as environmental responsibility. Historically, the means available to tackle this issue were considered, openly or not, as a constraint. At Chronopost, we have long since decided to see it as an opportunity to open a new path to our industry, provided, of course, to have the courage, the desire and the means to engage ».

With these words, Martin Piechowski, President of Chronopost has introduced this morning its environmental scheme.

Low emission delivery all over Paris: a first for a global capital

Since mid-September, Chronopost has been delivering the entire city of Paris in low emission, electric or Natural Gas Vehicles. A strong commitment made by its President to the Paris City Council in April 2018, that imposes today a new standard of delivery to the entire industry.

In practice, it represents 25,000 parcels daily in 230 delivery routes. The fleet of the express carrier is composed of 190 electric vehicles (Nissan with bodywork by the equipment supplier Voltia, cargo bikes and trolleys) and 40 NGV vehicles. The implementation of this initiative reduces 87% of CO2 emissions, i.e. 560 tonnes of CO2 avoided (99% of fine particles).

The delivery of the entire city of Paris is only a first step for Chronopost. By the end of 2019, 300 new low emission vehicles will be rolled out throughout the country. They will be complemented by a second wave of more than 200 new vehicles by July 2020, spread across 11 major cities: Strasbourg, Lille, Rouen, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lyon, Marseille and Nice and the outlying Parisian suburbs. The clearly stated objective is to deliver most of the French territory in the long term in a carbon neutral vehicle.


ChronoCity: a new hypra-urban location concept

Located in the city center and integrated in a real neighborhood life, these micro-locations with an area of less than 500 m2 are intended to get closer to the end consignees.

ChronoCity combines two separate spaces into one single place allowing to ensure an optimal customer experience:

An operational part allowing to manage and deliver parcels by low emission means (bicycle, on foot or electric vehicles) to a whole neighbourhood, i.e. between 500 and 1,000 parcels divided into 5 and 10 daily routes.

A space dedicated to the general public offering, besides sending and receiving parcels, value-added services such as the possibility of trying clothes in a dedicated fitting room, setting up a test bench allowing to test electronic devices before bringing them home… and offering all the necessary material to send or return parcels.

2 ChronoCity have been rolled out today in Paris, 1 in Boulogne-Billancourt et 1 in Levallois-Perret. As of October, 2 new locations will open in the 14th and 20th districts of Paris.

ChronoCity Paris 15th key figures

  • Customer reception from 9am to 7pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 2pm on Saturday,
  • 28 m2 shop,
  • 340 m2 operational area,
  • 1,000 parcels per day,
  • 7 daily routes by electric vehicles,
  • 8 daily routes by cargo bike,
  • €300,000 investment
  • 3 Chronopost employees

A strong commitment and investment in the future

Engaged and pioneer in urban logistics, Chronopost has chosen since 2005 to invest in the long term with the opening of its first Urban Logistics Area under the Paris Place de la Concorde, the implementation of the first delivery routes on foot and the roll out of the first electric vehicles. Since then, the express carrier has continuously tested new transport modes, deployed new fleets and opened new locations to meet these challenges.

The roll out of all these facilities is a long-term commitment and a strong investment in the future. For 2 years and the decision to deliver the capital by low emission vehicles, the project has represented about 20 million euros of investment, including real estate, implementation of charging stations, fleet, maintenance and human time. An additional investment of 30 million euros will be made by the beginning of 2022, for a total of 50 million euros.

About Chronopost

Chronopost France is part of DPDgroup, the international parcel delivery network ranked 2nd in Europe. As the leading French specialist in express delivery of parcels of up to 30kg to businesses and individual customers, Chronopost relies on a team of 3,800 employees and delivered over 170.7 million parcels in 2018. Chronopost delivers to 230 countries around the world and has privileged access to DPDgroup’s European network of Pickup points.
DPDgroup is the parcel delivery network of GeoPost, a Le Groupe La Poste holding company with revenue of €7.3 billion in 2018.
Through innovative technology, local knowledge, dedicated customer service and a network of 19,500 pickup points (Chronopost depots, post offices and Pickup points), Chronopost offers the best possible customer experience both for senders and recipients. Chronopost fully offsets its CO2 emissions and has delivered Paris-wide with a 100% low emission vehicles fleet since September 2019.

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