MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DHL, the world’s leading logistics company and the Official Logistics Partner of Formula E, successfully delivered all 40 fully-electric racing cars taking part in the two-race Championship finale along the banks of St. Lawrence River today and tomorrow. Along with the cars, DHL also delivered lithium-ion batteries, charging stations, garage equipment and track infrastructure for the 10 teams that will compete for the title.
With the season finale, DHL also concludes its third season of delivering sustainable logistics solutions for the only fully single seater racing series around the globe. Since last October when the Championship’s tour kicked off in Hong Kong, DHL has transported more than 450 tons of equipment, covering more than 50,000 kilometers as the series traveled to eight countries on five continents. The cargo for the North American races traveled from Europe to New York City via ocean freight, which produces 100 times less CO2 emissions than transporting the same cargo via air. For the trip to Montreal from New York City, DHL transported the cars and all the equipment via road.
“For DHL, it’s an honor to help bring the Formula E all-electric racing series to Canada for the first time,” said Andrew Williams, CEO, DHL Express Canada. “With the FIA Formula E Championship, DHL, a pioneer in green logistics, is working alongside a pacesetter in clean auto racing with a vision to advance automotive technology at large. Handling the logistics for this championship presents a great opportunity to showcase how the transport of all the equipment needed to stage this great event can be done while minimizing the carbon footprint of the entire operation.”
Away from the track, DHL is establishing itself as an environmental protection leader and the Formula E Championship provides an interactive platform to help promote the importance of sustainability. Earlier this year, DHL became the first transport company to announce its goal of eliminating all logistics-related emissions by 2050 with the hope of contributing meaningfully to limiting global warming. To achieve this, DHL will complete a series of milestones that will gradually contribute to the final goal. By 2025, the company will operate 70% of its own first and last mile services with clean pick-up and delivery solutions such as bike and electric vehicles. DHL has significantly ramped up the production of its StreetScooter, an electric delivery van originally designed for its Deutsche Post operations in Germany. Some 20,000 units are scheduled for production this year for use by the German mail and parcel unit as well as for sale to third parties.
DHL also was the first company in the transportation industry to set a target to improve its carbon efficiency by 30% by the year 2020 from its benchmark 2007 level. DHL achieved this goal in 2016, three years ahead of its original target date in part because of the steps the company has taken in its daily operations to reduce its overall carbon emissions. For instance, DHL Express in Canada uses more fuel-efficient vehicles. DHL operates an entirely green fleet in New York City with 49 fully-electric vans and 47 hybrid units in New York City and two weeks ago it introduced its Cubicycle, an innovative electrically-assisted delivery bike that can carry a container with a load of up to one cubic meter in volume, making carbon-free deliveries.
With an emphasis on sustainable logistics, DHL believes in the importance of innovative technology to accelerate the path to greener solutions. During a press event on Thursday, July 27 at the W Montreal, and using mixed reality technology, DHL showcased innovations being piloted in its operations, such as the DHL Parcelcopter, which makes deliveries in remote and dangerous places, and Sawyer, one of its four new collaborative robots to support production and warehouse staff by automating repetitive tasks.
Augmented and mixed reality technology provides new perspectives in logistics planning, process execution and transportation and is currently being piloted in DHL operations. DHL “pickers” are equipped with advanced smart glasses that visually display where each picked item needs to be placed on the trolley. It enables hands-free order picking at a faster pace, along with reduced error rates. This technology has allowed a 25% increase in the performance of warehouse operations in the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The press event included a behind-the-scenes track tour, where DHL also showcased the EffiBOT, a new, fully-automated collaborative robot that follows pickers through warehouses and takes care of most of the physical work. DHL’s EffiBOT has accompanied the staff, and fans alike, around every Formula E race this season, helping deliver necessary parts and materials to the racing teams and the Formula E staff as they get race-ready trackside.
DHL also teamed up with Formula E to create the “eChampions Award” to recognize the unsung heroes that work dedicatedly behind the scenes to help make the all-electric racing series the fastest-growing form of motorsport in the world.
Formula E and DHL invited all the teams to nominate those individuals or departments who drive excellence, innovation and pioneering spirit. These inspiring stories are being presented in a series of short films that take a closer look at how they are pushing the boundaries of innovation.
With this, DHL consolidates its position as a leading logistics company in innovation and sustainable mobility, and ratifying its commitment to continue shaping trends in the industry and showcasing the positive impact that technology and sustainability will have in the future.
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DHL – The logistics company for the world
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 350,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 57 billion euros in 2016.
About the FIA Formula E Championship:
The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series, competing on the streets against the backdrop of some of the most iconic cities - including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Monaco, Paris, Berlin, New York and Montreal. The championship represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a platform to showcase the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions. Future seasons will see the regulations open up further allowing manufacturers to focus on the development of motor and battery components, which in turn will filter down to everyday contemporary electric road vehicles.
The 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship sees 10 teams and 20 drivers go wheel-to-wheel in nine cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned Formula E champion. The inaugural season of Formula E sparked into life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing. The third season of the electric street racing series started on October 9 in Hong Kong, with the season finale double-header taking place in Montreal on July 29 & 30.
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