An Post considering installing charging points at post offices

gizmo555

"... the company are looking at installing charging points at or near post offices around the country, in addition to those being rolled out by the ESB."

An Post to introduce electric vehicles for deliveries

Interesting.

Gumbo

They have already rolled out a fleet of EV's from their delivery hubs.

KCross

Similar content detailed here:
http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/About+An+Post/Media+Centre/Press+Releases/2018/Zero+emissions.htm


I'm not convinced they can add charge points to many post office sites.

If they put in slow charge points it will just mean that the best spaces for people to get into the post office will now be hogged for hours by EV's. I dont think that would be a positive development.

Now, if they put in rapids, I'm all for that, but most post offices around the country dont have the space for a rapid. Some of them wouldnt even have a car space dedicated to the post office.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
I'd guess it would be a limited rollout, if they do it.

unkel

I presume the chargers are only for their own use. For EV delivery vehicles. Probably not even for their own staff.

KCross

unkel wrote: »

I presume the chargers are only for their own use. For EV delivery vehicles. Probably not even for their own staff.

It might never happen as they are only "considering" it but what they said was

"... and the provision of public electric vehicle charging points at An Post sites."

Phibsboro

From a Dublin perspective, the only post office near me that has any parking at all is the main local sorting office, with about 5 spaces. Maybe down the country is different?

I think the key to public charging in the medium term is going to be car parks associated with something you can do for between 30 mins and an hour. So shopping centres, fast food places etc.

ted1

Phibsboro wrote: »

From a Dublin perspective, the only post office near me that has any parking at all is the main local sorting office, with about 5 spaces. Maybe down the country is different?

I think the key to public charging in the medium term is going to be car parks associated with something you can do for between 30 mins and an hour. So shopping centres, fast food places etc.

What about the sorting offices. Lots more parking there.

Phibsboro

ted1 wrote: »

What about the sorting offices. Lots more parking there.

Well that's what I am saying, the only local one that has parking is the sorting office and it has maybe 5 spaces (Bannow Road in Cabra).

ELM327

Phibsboro wrote: »

From a Dublin perspective, the only post office near me that has any parking at all is the main local sorting office, with about 5 spaces. Maybe down the country is different?

I think the key to public charging in the medium term is going to be car parks associated with something you can do for between 30 mins and an hour. So shopping centres, fast food places etc.

My local post office has no parking at all. The local sorting office is in an industrial estate on the edge of town and has about 10 spots in a really awkward setup.


(Navan)

slave1

Great to see a Renault Kango EV today with local postman saying he's getting 3 days on a full charge but they make him put it on charge every night at the depot (22 charger), he said they've taken all bicycles off the road with the rollout of the EVs

JPA

slave1 wrote: »

Great to see a Renault Kango EV today with local postman saying he's getting 3 days on a full charge but they make him put it on charge every night at the depot (22 charger), he said they've taken all bicycles off the road with the rollout of the EVs

As pro this move as I am, taking bicycles off the road is hardly a good thing?!

cruizer101

JPA wrote: »

As pro this move as I am, taking bicycles off the road is hardly a good thing?!

I think part of the reason is the large increase in parcels and packages. Even without covid there is a large increase in online shopping.

slave1

From chatting to him he's now gone from letters and small packages on his route to everything small to large and inbetween.
The guy that was big parcels only is gone.

Cost cutting/rationalisation

zg3409

In my local town in the past month they have installed 10+ chargers at the sorting office for overnight work vehicle charging. I am not sure if there is enough for every van.

In terms of public charging at or near an post property it is true that even with 150kW+ chargers they will struggle to fix free spots at post offices, but they may have more space at sorting offices, but they could roll out a non post office competition to ESB. An post have been quite fast to change and adapt such as banking at post offices, site sharing with convenience stores, closing unviable sites, moving to EVs early, competing with parcel motel clones, delivery boxes. They could leverage the sites they have and partner with others such as supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations, hotels etc.

You could argue it does not make sense as it distracts them from their core business, but they may have the biggest commercial EV fleet in Ireland.

AndyBoBandy

Of the 3-4 Post Offices I’d use, they are all inside other shops (SuperValu, a Florist, a convenience store, a shopping centre), so none of them have designated parking spaces...

Now it would be great if they went balls out and just competed with ESB, perhaps partner up with SuperValu/Dunnes and install rapids in their car parks... (basically what ESB should have done at Tesco car parks (DC instead of AC)).

Jimjay

ted1 wrote: »

What about the sorting offices. Lots more parking there.

Sorting office in greystones park all their vans in public carpark by beach. At the weekend when the carpark is free, it feels like half the carpark Is filled with an post vans.

shanec1928

think our postman said the local sorting office had installed 20+ chargers, the only problem was they cant get the ev vans at the minute. so they have a decent fleet of rented vans on the go along with all the diesel vans as everyone has a van now to deliver parcels.

Felexicon

JPA wrote: »

As pro this move as I am, taking bicycles off the road is hardly a good thing?!

They're actually switching to Cargo E bikes. A really smart bit of kit that will allow larger parcels be delivered by bike.