Austrian Post Delivers CO2-Neutral in Graz

For over ten years, the Post has delivered all shipments in Austria CO₂-neutrally. The next big goal is to achieve emission-free delivery by 2030. Until then, only electric vehicles or vehicles with alternative drives will be used by the Post on the last mile. In Graz, the Post has already achieved this goal this year.

(Wien/Graz) This means that the entire fleet of the Austrian Post in Graz is powered electrically – and thus CO2-free. Since October, all letters, packages, printed media, and all advertising mail have been delivered emission-free in the Styrian capital. This amounts to a total of 1.2 million kilometers that the Post will now cover emission-free each year.

On the occasion of the final implementation of the project, the Austrian Post invites interested parties to the Graz main square from Friday, November 5, to Sunday, November 7, to view the electric vehicles and learn about the Post’s further sustainability measures.

“Sustainability is firmly anchored in the corporate strategy of the Austrian Post. Since 2011, we have been delivering all shipments in Austria CO2-neutrally, and by 2030 we aim to become completely emission-free. Graz is our flagship project, where we have already realized CO2-free delivery – thanks to the transition to a fully electric fleet, including intelligent charging management,” explains DI Peter Umundum, Board Member for Parcel & Logistics, Austrian Post AG.

“The Austrian Post has been a pioneer in sustainability for many years by early adopting CO2-neutral deliveries. Now, it is taking a step further. I sincerely congratulate them. It is important to me that we continue to promote climate protection that leaves no one behind. We will only achieve this if we focus on technology and innovation and support the Austrian economy in its transformation. The investment premium is a good example of this.

Impulses through Financial Grants

Companies that invest in sustainability or digitalization will receive a grant of 14 percent. “This is how we are deliberately setting impulses in the right direction,” says Minister of Economy and Digitalization Dr. Margarete Schramböck on the occasion of the go-live of green delivery in Graz.

The Styrian Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer also emphasizes the importance of the project: “Science and business have a particularly high status in Styria. Not least for this reason, we are the number one research country. With the ‘Green Graz’ project of the Austrian Post, the Styrian capital takes on a pioneering role and is the first city in Austria where postal shipments are delivered completely emission-free. To leave a green and sustainable Styria for future generations, we must continue to work on forward-looking measures to set important impulses in climate and environmental protection.”

Good Cooperation in Implementing the Project

The implementation of the project was carried out in good cooperation with the city of Graz. Graz’s Environmental Councilor Mag. Judith Schwentner explains: “The pandemic has shown how indispensable the Austrian Post and its employees are for all of us. That such a large and essential company for our basic supply is also pioneering in climate protection shows what is possible. Graz has long been a model region for e-mobility, and we have successfully promoted the transition of commercial fleets to alternative drives for many years. As Environmental Councilor, I am even more pleased that the Post fleet is now exclusively electric and thus emission-free, taking on a green pioneering role for all of Austria.”

Fleet with Over 200 Electric Vehicles

Delivery for the Mur metropolis takes place from a delivery base at Graz main station and directly from the logistics center Styria in Kalsdorf. Over 200 electric vehicles are now in use, all powered CO2-free with green electricity. In September 2020, the Graz station delivery base was equipped with 65 electric cars, 15 e-mopeds, 52 e-bikes, and the corresponding charging infrastructure. In September 2021, the second phase followed: The delivery base in Kalsdorf received 70 electric vehicles – for the first time also large electric transporters for package delivery – along with the necessary charging infrastructure. A new, smart software manages the performance of the charging stations and ensures that all electric cars are fully charged again by the next morning.

(l.r.) DI Peter Umundum, Board Member Parcel & Logistics, Austrian Post, Dr. Margarete Schramböck, Federal Minister for Digitalization and Economic Location, Mag. Judith Schwentner, Environmental Councilor City of Graz, and Hermann Schützenhöfer, Governor of Styria

City Hub at Andreas-Hofer-Platz

As part of the “Green Graz” project, a project with a central city hub at Andreas-Hofer-Platz was additionally established last year. A system that thinks one step further: Thanks to the city hub, package deliverers no longer have to drive back and forth between the logistics center Styria in Kalsdorf and the city of Graz, but start and end their workday in the city center of Graz. This not only eliminates CO2 and noise emissions but also reduces unnecessary empty trips, optimizes delivery routes, and thus relieves urban traffic as a whole. After testing various package delivery vehicles, the city hub is now permanently in use for inner-city package delivery. Deliveries are made from there using a towable electric hub cart that is operated on foot.

Intelligent Charging Management for the Electric Fleet

An essential part of the “Green Graz” project was the installation of suitable charging infrastructure. In September 2020, 65 electric charging stations were put into operation at the delivery base at Graz main station, which feature intelligent charging management. 11 of these are fast charging stations with 22 kilowatts (kW) each. These also allow for “refueling” the vehicles during loading in the morning. The charging stations are integrated into a charging and load management system, where intelligent software controls the charging of the batteries so that all vehicles are charged optimally. These modern charging parks not only allow for simultaneous charging of a larger number of electric vehicles but can also be integrated without significant reconstruction of the electrical installations at a location. The Graz delivery base thus operates not only the largest charging park with smart charging software in Austria but also ranks among the leaders in Europe. In the logistics center in Kalsdorf, another 70 charging stations (including 22 fast chargers) were installed in September 2021, enabling the entire electric fleet for the Graz delivery area to be switched to electricity.

Only green electricity from Austria is used: Already today, the Austrian Post has six photovoltaic systems on the roofs of its logistics centers, which together provide a capacity of around 2,600 kilowatts peak (kWp), with nearly 900 kWp currently being implemented and an additional 1,200 kWp in planning. The long-term goal is to double this to a total of around 5,000 kWp, which will also partially “refuel” the sorting machines in the logistics centers as well as the entire electric fleet with green solar power.

Photo: © Austrian Post