The award-winning Loyds Paxter, the so-called Postman Pat vehicle, designed and produced in Norway, is Europe’s most efficient and environmentally friendly postal delivery vehicle.
Norway Post wanted a vehicle that could be registered as a moped, with a 100-200 kg weight capacity and a range of 40km, or up to six hours without recharging. In 2013 Loyds Paxter was launched with a 200 kg loading capacity making fewer deposit roundtrips compared to any other small delivery vehicle.
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In 2016 the New Zealand Post approached the Waitaki District Council for permission to trial the new electric vehicle on Oamaru footpaths, and several other countries are considering the vehicle for use in their postal delivery systems.
Nationally, NZ Post set aside a total of $15m over two years to buy the new electric vehicles from Norwegian manufacturers Paxster AS.
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NZ Post service delivery chief operating officer Ashley Smout said the four-wheeled battery-powered vehicles would be used for the combined delivery of parcels and mail in residential areas in larger centres. “The vehicles will give us extra capacity to meet the growing demand created by online shopping and give us an edge in the competitive parcel delivery market,” Smout said.
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For easy access, Paxster can carry 3 x 15 kg up front, and the rear cargo box with a volume up to 820 liters can be tailor-made to fit any postal trays for the distribution of post, newspapers and small packages. The vehicle is purpose built down to every single detail, from using the battery placement to optimize center of gravity, via designing the cockpit for time-saving on repetitive tasks, to the appreciated hill-hold feature.
The so-called Postman Pat vehicle, Loyds Paxter, is a unique product that is 100% designed for the job it is required for, namely to deliver the post. It is an ergonomic, environmentally friendly, efficient and attractive working environment with tremendous international potential.
The Postman Pat Vehicle from Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg