Electric mail-delivery cars arrive in Auckland

The first 50 cars will deliver the mail on Auckland's North Shore.

The first shipment of New Zealand Post's 500 new electric delivery vehicles has landed in Auckland for a nationwide roll-out this year.

Fifty vehicles from Norwegian manufacturers Paxster AS have arrived so far.

The four-wheel Paxsters will be used to deliver parcels and mail in residential areas of New Zealand's larger towns and cities, starting on Auckland's North Shore. A successful pilot has already been held in New Plymouth.

"Within the next two years we plan to have 500 Paxsters in operation, which we believe will be the largest fleet of road-legal, fully electric vehicles in New Zealand," said acting chief operating officer, Mark Stewart.

The New Zealand Post Group already has 50 fully electric vehicles in its delivery fleet and 118 hybrid cars in the Kiwibank fleet.

"Early calculations suggest New Zealand Post will make very good reductions in fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions by using these electric vehicles," Mr Stewart said.

The Paxsters are produced in Norway and won the 2013 Award for Design Excellence from the Norwegian Design Council.

"We have spent four years developing a technology and a concept that is revolutionising the industry with regard to efficiency, the environment and, not least, the work environment," said Paxster chief Lasse Andre Hansen.