Marking the first use of all-electric pickup and delivery vehicles in Japan, FedEx Express (FedEx) has announced the introduction of two zero-emission all-electric Nissan e-NV200 vehicles at the Shinsuna station for Tokyo area pickups and deliveries.  FedEx also installed an e-NV200 battery charging station at the facility.

This goal, a part of the FedEx EarthSmart initiative, will further advance the company’s existing target of improving fleet fuel efficiency by 30 per cent by 2020, from a 2005 baseline.  To reach it, FedEx follows these measures: Reduce – optimise routing and driving habits to reduce mileage and fuel consumption; Replace – upgrade vehicles to more efficient ones wherever possible; Revolutionise:  identify and invest in future technologies such as alternative fuel, hybrid-electronic and electronic vehicles.

Through these initiatives, FedEx has already nearly achieved its goal, bringing its cumulative improvement from 2005 levels to 29.5 per cent as of 2014.  The company plans to revisit the target after it is reached.

The introduction of all-electric vehicles is one measure in FedEx long-term approach to environmental issues.  As of 2014, FedEx has 397 hybrid vehicles, 404 electric vehicles, 132 natural gas-fueled vehicles and 40 hydrogen-fueled vehicles globally. FedEx Japan has seven hybrid vehicles and nine natural gas-fueled vehicles as of February 2016.

“With more than 190 countries recently signing the COP21 Paris Agreement to establish an international framework for decreasing fossil fuel dependency worldwide, global awareness of environmental and global warming issues is increasing,” said Masamichi Ujiie, regional vice president, FedEx Express North Pacific.  “As a company conducting business worldwide, FedEx is committed to addressing environmental issues through such measures as the introduction of zero-emission all-electric vehicles.”