Electric delivery vans will be seen for the first time in the Middle East when these vehicles transport equipment and parcels across the Expo 2020 Dubai site.
Global logistics company UPS will in a few months take delivery of their first e-vans in the UK. The vehicles will be seen in Dubai next year.
The electric vans and e-quads – a combination of a crate on a quadbike – will help to reduce carbon emissions.
In a few years, the cost of deploying an electric vehicle will match or beat the cost of the conventional ones
The vans will join driverless cars being tested by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority to transport passengers at the site.
“It’s exciting times. The biggest single shift we are undertaking, and will be for the next couple of decades, is the move towards electrification,” said Peter Harris, international sustainability director for UPS.
The company has teamed up with British electric vehicle startup Arrival Ltd to design electric delivery vehicles and ordered 10,000 such vans for use across the world.
"We expect to take delivery of the first of these in the next few months," Mr Harris said this week.
“As the official logistics providers for Expo 2020, we will be bringing a number of technologies to the Expo.”
With the global growth in e-commerce, companies around the world are moving to reduce their dependence on conventional transport.
Scientists say man-made emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide must end by 2050 to avoid global temperatures crossing the threshold of 1.5°C every year set out by the Paris climate accord.
The interest in zero-emission delivery vans is fuelled by the need to reduce pollution, particularly in the transport sector, with an emphasis on smart driving technology.
“It’s not just about trucks, it’s going beyond the truck, beyond emissions,” Mr Harris said.
“It’s to get to the point where the cost of deploying an electric solution matches or beats the cost of the conventional solution and we are getting closer to that. It’s probably only a few years away.
"Then deploying an EV [electric vehicle] is no longer just a sustainable solution, it is also the commercial common sense solution.”
To tackle congestion challenges, the company also uses e-bikes to drop and pick up parcels in 30 cities.
Expo 2020 has declared its commitment to working with countries and companies to promote technology that drives sustainability.
For the past two years, UPS has been the Expo's logistics partner.
It has handled the delivery of huge structures that were used to build the Al Wasl dome’s towering trellis and the tall entrance gates at the Dubai Expo site.
The company was also the logistics sponsor in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
