SingPost to trial new eco-scooter

SINGAPORE — Your mail could be delivered in a more eco-friendly way in the future, if all goes well for Singapore Post (SingPost) and TumCreate’s road trials for a prototype electric three-wheeler.

The road trial will take place from March 28, along two delivery routes between SingPost’s Ayer Rajah Regional Delivery Base and the National University of Singapore, and end on April 7, SingPost said in a press statement on Friday (March 24)

It also said that the new vehicle will be environmentally friendly and features innovations to boost mail delivery efficiency.

SingPost currently operates a fleet of 674 petrol-driven scooters for last mile postal delivery. Of these, about half are three-wheelers, which offer greater ride stability and load capacity than conventional two-wheelers.

The new vehicle’s all-electric drive, though, will produce zero exhaust emissions and reduces maintenance costs as well as noise disturbance.

Thanks to its modular batteries, the vehicle’s range may be configured for distances ranging from 35km to 70km.

The electric three-wheeler is equipped with an instrument panel that includes dynamic GPS routing for priority deliveries and optimised delivery routing, a fleet monitoring system for data collection and management, as well as integrated cameras, and on-demand tracking.

SingPost said a specially designed storage system can increase a postman’s efficacy and efficiency, with the daily delivery routine reduced by up to 40 minutes.

A detachable, rollable storage box with a capacity of 567 litres — offering 23 per cent more storage space than those on current postal scooters — is meant to ease the packing and unpacking process.

It allows postal staff to pack the mail at the sorting station, wheel the box — which is made fom an advanced bamboo composite — and load it automatically with the help of a motorised hoist.

Mr Tan Tien Po, SingPost Senior Vice President for Domestic Mail, said the new vehicle is a step “towards realising an urban logistics solution that addresses the future needs of mail and eCommerce logistics, increasing demands for fast and flexible delivery, and the growing need for environmental sustainability”.