Ikea partner DX progresses fleet electrification with £3 mn
Ikea logistic partner DX announced a further £3 million investment in new electric vehicles for the Group’s delivery partnership with Ikea. The money will be enough to add 53 electric vans by Maxus to the fleet and is the second round of EV funding by DX.
DX made a deal with Ikea in the autumn of 2022, committing to establishing a fleet of electric vehicles for Ikea home deliveries in Northern Ireland and the UK within three years. A £750,000 investment kicked off the initiative with twelve vans. As with the deal today, DX opted for the Maxus e-Deliver 9 vans in both cases, bringing the fleet up to 65.
The new vans will operate from six DX/Ikea depots in Heathrow, Milton Keynes, Reading, Sheffield, Southampton, and Willenhall and bear the branding of both partners.
The Maxus eDeliver 9 has a load capacity of 1,162kg and a range of over 219 miles. The vehicles bear both DX and Ikea branding.
Ikea has been working with DX for over seven years and uses the Group’s logistics services to support its online and retail operations. DX adds it is also Ikea’s largest provider of 2-Man home delivery services in the UK. As such, DX is “fundamental” for Ikea’s 100% zero-emission goals for home delivery, said John Welsh, Fulfilment Sourcing Manager at Ikea UK & Ireland.
The retailer targets having 60 per cent of its deliveries on the isles powered by electric vehicles by the summer of 2023 and all deliveries from 2025.
DX added the £3 million investment was in addition to its broader £20 million three-year investment programme, which is now in its second year. To date, investment has focused on depots, equipment, vehicles, and technology.
At the same time, DX is not the only partner working to green its operations for Ikea. Its efforts include working with smaller logistics providers and the furniture retailer’s fleet. Ikea founded the EV100+ initiative, committing to decarbonise heavy-duty commercial vehicles by 2040. It is also part of the EV100 initiative launched by the Climate Group in 2017, in which more than 120 companies joined forces pledging to convert their (lighter) fleets totalling over 5.5 million vehicles, to zero emissions by 2030.
The latest advances include Ikea installing charging infrastructure at its stores, primarily for use by its delivery partners on site. For example, Ikea commissioned Mer in April to install charging stations in the UK. With £4.5 million, Mer will build nearly 200 charging stations in the UK and Ireland.
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