Croatia’s postal firm gets 70 e-scooters

Croatian postal operator Hrvatska Pošta continued greening its vehicle fleet by receiving its first delivery of electric scooters, of 70 two-wheelers.

Hrvatska Pošta’s electric fleet totals 619 vehicles.

“We have received the delivery of the first 70 out of a total of 255 new Askoll ES PRO electric mopeds,” Hrvatska Pošta said.

The remaining e-scooters are arriving by the end of the month. They will be used for deliveries in the areas of Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, and Bjelovar.

The company also operates a network of e-chargers

The postal service’s electric vehicle fleet includes bicycles, quadricycles, cars, light vans, and semi-trucks. The company also has its own network of 77 charging stations in 20 cities across Croatia.

The charging stations have 123 charging points overall, and the majority has a charging capacity of 22 kW in the alternating current (AC) format.

Hrvatska Pošta said it reduced its total greenhouse gas emissions by 11,600 tons last year or 18%. It also continued the positive trend in most emission categories due to the electrification of the vehicle fleet, more energy-efficient facilities, and the optimization of logistics processes, the update reads.

The use of electric vehicles reduces air pollution and noise in populated areas, too.

The company began procuring electric bicycles as early as 2015

Croatia’s postal operator acquired 180 electric bicycles already in 2015 to replace old motorcycles. Four years later, it purchased 20 electric quadricycles.

The purchase of e-bikes and electric quadricycles benefited from grants from the country’s Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (FZOEU).

Electric vehicles are slowly gaining ground in South-East Europe and the Western Balkans.

One of the latest such initiatives was launched in North Macedonia.

The government has presented a plan to subsidize the purchase of 200 electric vehicles for taxi drivers, to improve urban transportation and reduce air pollution.

Given the high levels of air pollution in the region, electric vehicles could be among the solutions for a healthier environment.

Prices are still the main obstacle for wider deployment, primarily for citizens, while companies such as Croatia’s postal operator are contributing with their procurements.