“With the introduction of the e-truck, Austrian Post is definitely going in the right direction”

Österreichische Post AG put its first two e-trucks into operation at the beginning of May. The two vehicles commute CO_2-free between the logistics centre in Vienna-Inzersdorf and Vienna Airport to pick up or deliver international shipments.

Klaudia Tanner, Federal Minister of Defence, Günther Ofner, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG, as well as the BVL management with Roman Stiftner, BVL President, and Wolfgang Kubesch, BVL Managing Director, were also able to get an idea of this at the 39th Logistics Dialogue of the Austrian Logistics Association (BVL).

“In the field of field post, the Austrian Armed Forces and the postal service have been working together for a very long time. Together with the postal service, the Austrian Armed Forces have set up their own field post offices in foreign missions, such as in Kosovo. In this way, soldiers can continue to keep in touch with their loved ones and their homeland when they are deployed far away from home. To ensure that this works smoothly, a greater logistical effort is required. This makes it all the more important in the field of sustainable mobility to set standards and also set an example for the environment. With the introduction of the e-truck, Austrian Post is definitely going in the right direction,” says Klaudia Tanner, Federal Minister of Defence.

“Sustainability is a high priority at Vienna Airport. As part of our climate protection offensive, we have been implementing numerous measures to reduce CO₂ emissions since 2011 and have been conducting our airport operations in a CO_2-neutral manner since 2023. E-mobility is also an important factor: a state-of-the-art e-fast charging station will go into operation at the site before the end of this year. Every month, about 390 tons of mail are transported via the airport to the wide world. The fact that deliveries are made with e-mobility also helps to make aviation processes climate-friendly. Flying itself becomes climate-neutral with alternative fuels (SAF),” says Günther Ofner, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.

“The first interim conclusion on the e-trucks is more than satisfactory. Our drivers are happy about less noise, less vibration and better handling – and all of this is CO_2-free. With this ‘green corridor’ between the airport and the logistics centre, we have set new standards and are gaining experience from which the entire logistics industry can benefit”, explains Peter Umundum, Member of the Management Board for Parcel & Logistics, Österreichische Post AG.

“BVL Austria’s Logistics Dialogue is not only the largest congress in the country, but also a hub for innovations and trends. Austrian Post has long played a pioneering role in this field, especially when it comes to green logistics. The fleet conversion and new postal centers are living proof of how sustainability is implemented in perfection interwoven with the economy and society as a transformation model,” says Roman Stiftner, President of the Austrian Logistics Association.

VIENNA AIRPORT AND VIENNA LOGISTICS CENTRE: TWO GREEN ENDPOINTS
But it is not only the e-trucks that are green and CO2-free on the road, the two companies are also working on the decarbonization of tomorrow’s mobility at the two end points of this “green corridor”, at the airport and in the logistics center.

Vienna Airport is growing steadily and sustainability has the highest priority. Vienna Airport has been one of the first airports in Europe to operate CO_2-neutral since 2023. To this end, the airport relies on solar energy, among other things. With eight photovoltaic systems, including one of the largest in Austria, Vienna Airport covers around 50 percent of its annual electricity consumption from its own solar power generation. Further CO₂ savings are provided by the supply of CO_2-neutral district heating by OMV’s Schwechat refinery. With intelligent building management, the energy consumption of the operational buildings at the site also remains low. One benchmark is Office Park 4, which has been awarded several times by ÖGNI as “Austria’s most sustainable office building”. E-mobility is also an important factor: With over 380 electric vehicles for aircraft handling, mobile passenger stairs and catering vehicles, around one million liters of diesel consumption are saved per year. There are also numerous e-charging stations at the site. After the world’s first flywheel storage system, a large central e-fast charging station with a charging capacity of 185 KW per station will also open this year.

The post office site in Vienna-Inzersdorf covers 200,000 m², making it the largest location of the local logistics company. 1,500 people work on the site, where the new parcel logistics center, the mail logistics center, the foreign center, the truck fleet of Transportlogistik Ost and the printing and inserting center of Post Business Solutions are located.

Landscape architects and gardeners have developed an ecologically sustainable green space concept for the open and roof areas of the new parcel logistics centre. The roof areas were greened, the outdoor facilities were designed with native or site-appropriate woody plants, perennials and a wildflower seed, which captivate in spring with their splendour of flowers and in summer with their lush green and offer a natural habitat for animal species such as wild bees and bats. A photovoltaic system with a capacity of two megawatts peak was installed on the roof, and together with the photovoltaic system of the mail logistics center, a total output of 2.8 megawatts peak is achieved. The new parcel logistics centre is heated by an air-to-water heat pump.

The purchase of the e-trucks was funded by the European Union’s “Emission-Free Commercial Vehicles and Infrastructure (ENIN)” funding programme, the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).