DHL is ramping up efforts to achieve its target of zero emissions by 2050, recently announcing the purchase of all-electronic cargo planes, while noting the continued push to look for means to cut its carbon footprint.
The international courier said it placed an order for 12 fully electric cargo planes from Eviation, the Seattle-area based manufacturer of the all-electric aircraft.
Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific in Hong Kong, told Asia Cargo News that while “not all details are final yet,” DHL plans to build several zero emission Alice feeder networks starting in the US, referring to Eviation’s “Alice,” a fully-electric aircraft, which enables airlines – both cargo and passenger – to operate a zero-emission fleet.
“These electric feeder networks could be established anywhere in the world, so we expect more continents and countries to come,” Lee said.
In an earlier announcement, Eviation said it expects to deliver the Alice electric aircraft to DHL Express in 2024.
“The current order is one of several initiatives we’re taking to reduce our carbon output. We will continue to identify solutions to help us achieve zero-emission logistics and build a sustainable air network,” Lee said.
DHL said the Alice aircraft can be flown by a single pilot and will carry 1,200 kilograms. It also requires just 30 minutes or less to charge per flight hour and has a maximum range of up to 815 kilometers (440 nautical miles).
The plane can also operate on all environments currently serviced by piston and turbine aircraft, and its motors have fewer moving parts to increase reliability and reduce maintenance costs.
Looking at all-electric aircraft fleet
The DHL executive told Asia Cargo News that the deal with Eviationis only the start of efforts to look into the possibility of introducing more e-powered or hybrid electric planes in its fleet.
“We are taking an exciting first step with Eviation here to further explore the feasibility of these new technologies and hopefully to support efforts to accelerate their development,” Lee said. “Seeing the result of the first deployments from 2024 onwards will allow us to evaluate next steps in this area. We will continue to explore the opportunities to deploy electric-powered or hybrid electric aircraft and other technologies as part of our overall effort to reach zero emissions by 2050.”
Alice has been specifically designed so that it can be configured for e-cargo or passengers. Eviation’s Alice all-electric aircraft is on track for its first flight later this year.
“We are constantly looking for innovations and solutions that help us improve our services as well as reduce our carbon footprint. We are also investing more than €1 billion (US$1.18 billion) a year to expand our network, modernize our aircraft fleet, and identify new sustainable transport modes,” Lee said.
Aside from looking into e-powered planes, DHL noted that it has also been working to expand its last mile electric delivery fleet, as well as ensuring that its network is covered with environmental ISO certification, among others.
“We will invest €7 billion (US$8.24 billion) through 2030 in clean operations to reduce our emissions to under 29 million tons by 2030 and thereby achieve a science-based target based on the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi),” Lee continued.
“On e-vehicles, we aim to increase our worldwide fleet to more than 80,000 e-vehicles, which corresponds to a share of 60% of the total fleet by the end of 2030,” he added.
Charlee C. Delavin
