Parcel-packing electric trikes to roll out by Christmas
Hearing the roar of a postman’s motorcycle on your street could be a thing of the past after Australia Post announced plans to add more electric tricycles to its delivery network.
The service announced on Tuesday the launch of 500 three-wheeled electric vehicles that will replace gasoline-powered motorcycles and are expected to join its fleet before the Christmas rush.
The vehicles can also speed up the delivery of online purchases, as each vehicle is equipped to carry an extra 120 boxes.
Australia Post’s announcement is the latest in a series of electric upgrades for carriers, a month after FedEx announced plans to add 55 electric vans and trucks to its network and follows similar investments from ANC Delivers, Team Global Express and Linfox.
The newest electric vehicles to hit Australian roads, called Rapide 3, will feature a built-in canopy, three wheels for stability, a top speed of 80 km/h and a range of up to 180 km on a single charge.
Australia Post group CEO Paul Graham said the vehicles, which have been tested by drivers over 15 months, can carry 150 parcels at a time, which is vital to keep up with demand during the busy festive season.
“This means people can get faster delivery for their e-commerce orders, which is clearly an area that continues to grow… both for ourselves and for others,” he told AAP.
“We are employing an extra 3000 to 3500 people for the peak period and it will be great to have these new vehicles on the roads, in the community and will help us deliver what we hope will be another record peak season.”
Mr Graham said the three-wheelers would replace traditional motorcycles, “still the most dangerous vehicles” in the fleet, and would be introduced in every state and territory.
They will join a fleet of 5,600 electric vehicles, including Fuso eCanter trucks, Mercedes-Benz eVito vans and DUTY battery-powered motorcycles, charged at 37 stations built for the postal service.
Mr Graham said replacing smaller delivery vehicles with electric models was a natural first step in eliminating emissions from its fleet, but the company was exploring ways to tackle pollution from long-haul, heavy-duty trucks and air transport to reach net zero by 2050.
“We continue to focus on small vehicles because they make the most business sense right now,” he said.
“We have smaller trucks on the road dealing with local type deliveries and we continue to test larger backhauls but it is fair to say that advertising on these remains compelling.”
The company’s latest investment follows electric car sales reaching 11.3 percent of new vehicle sales in September and similar investments by other transportation and logistics companies.
In early 2025, ANC Delivers announced it was adding 111 electric vehicles to its fleet in a project co-funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and Linfox also announced plans to purchase 30 heavy-duty electric trucks.
