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Illustration of a new DHL e-plane: first flight of the type planned for 2021
Photo: DHL
Deutsche Post DHL wants to tackle the problem of climate change more in the air - and will also use electric cargo planes in the future.
For this purpose, the group has now ordered twelve "Alice" machines from the manufacturer Eviation.
Eviation expects to be able to deliver the aircraft in 2024, said the Post.
A first flight of the machine type is planned for this year in the USA.
The machine can be flown by a single pilot and can transport more than 1200 kilograms of cargo.
The maximum range is 815 kilometers.
The electric airplane is therefore suitable for shorter feeder routes.
DHL Express operates a global air freight network with a fleet of more than 260 aircraft and 17 partner airlines.
The new e-machines should be able to be "refueled" with electricity while charging and discharging.
The charging time per flight hour is around 30 minutes.
Swiss Post did not provide any information on the price of the machines.
Electric aircraft also planned for passengers
"On our way to environmentally friendly logistics, the electrification of all modes of transport plays a decisive role," said DHL Express boss John Pearson.
The group will invest a total of seven billion euros by 2030 to reduce its CO2 emissions.
The funds are used in particular for electric vehicles for the last mile or climate-neutral buildings.
In order to reduce CO2 emissions, logistics companies like Swiss Post are already switching from fossil kerosene to sustainable fuels (SAF).
These are obtained from residual waste, for example.
With its “Fit for 55” climate package, the EU Commission wants to ensure an increased use of sustainable fuels in aviation.
The package aims to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels in order to combat climate change.
Technologically, it is not the only innovation at Deutsche Post. The group has been using electric vehicles on a large scale to transport its parcels on the road for years. More than 15,000 StreetScooter electric transporters deliver goods to customers. In 2018, Deutsche Post also began testing accompanying robots in the delivery service. The PostBOT, a four-wheeled vehicle that is 1.50 meters high and follows the deliverer every step of the way, was not intended to replace any jobs in Germany, but only to make the physically strenuous work easier for the deliverer. For deliveries from the air, on the other hand, the Post had also experimented with the “DHL Paketkopter”.
The Alice electric aircraft is developed and produced by Eviation, a manufacturer based in Washington State.
The plane can also be built as a passenger plane.
In this version, it should then be able to accommodate up to nine travelers.
apr / dpa / Reuters