Austrian Post Relies on Electric All-Wheel Drive Vehicles in the Mountains

After the Austrian Post AG has already made significant progress in the use of electric vehicles in urban and rural areas, the next milestone on the path to CO₂-free delivery across Austria by 2030 is now being followed. In mountainous regions, the Post is deploying all-wheel drive vehicles, as some mountain roads can only be accessed with all-wheel drive.   

(Wien) Reliable delivery must also be ensured under winter road conditions. The Austrian Post is now putting its first 100 all-wheel drive vehicles with electric drive into operation, thus becoming electrically mobile in the mountains for the first time. The company is investing more than four million euros in the acquisition of these vehicles.

Peter Umundum, Board Member for Parcel & Logistics, Austrian Post AG: “The deployment of our first all-wheel drive vehicles with electric drive is a real novelty! While other vehicle fleets are just beginning to transition to electric mobility in urban areas, we at the Post are taking a step further and bringing CO₂-free delivery to the last mile now also in mountainous regions. With the electric all-wheel drive, we not only ensure year-round and reliable delivery but also make logistics in Austria consistently sustainable.”

Only one manufacturer responded to the tender    

The Post has tendered for the procurement of all-wheel drive vehicles with electric drive, and only one manufacturer had a corresponding model in its portfolio and applied: the Chinese manufacturer Maxus with the eDeliver 7 4×4.

The electric transporter has a battery capacity of 88 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which provides a range of around 200 kilometers during daily operation. In addition to a cargo space volume of 6.7 m³, the vehicle offers various amenities for delivery personnel, including air conditioning, parking sensors, a rearview camera, and assistance systems such as emergency braking assistant, fatigue detection, and blind spot monitoring.

Continuous replacement of old diesel vehicles  

In delivery bases that are already equipped with the necessary charging infrastructure, the electric all-wheel drive vehicles are continuously replacing old all-wheel drive vehicles with diesel engines.

Photo: © Österreichische Post