Last Saturday, September 17, as part of European Mobility Week, which this year launched the theme “Better Connections,” GLS Portugal held its first Electric Freight Vehicle Showroom at its new facilities in Mealhada.
Electric vehicle test drives
The event showcased several electric mobility solutions, which were very well received by agencies from the GLS National Network.
Vehicle brands represented included: GAM Inquieto, Astara, Mdobility, with models such as MAXUS, TROPOS, EEZON, CENNTRO, LIVNENG, PAXSTER, as well as freight chargers from the INCH brand.
Encouraging the shift to electric mobility
The initiative aims to encourage GLS agencies across the country to adopt zero-emission urban, suburban, and freight mobility solutions. This was done by presenting each model and giving every business owner in attendance the opportunity to test-drive them, along with technical presentations from brand representatives.
One of GLS’s guiding principles is environmental preservation. For this reason, the company has actively sought to reduce or eliminate CO2 emissions resulting from its operations. This initiative marks another step toward reinforcing that objective. Currently, the GLS vehicle fleet is distributed across more than 50 agencies and partners nationwide, and the company intends to promote and encourage the use of electric vehicles in its daily operations.
According to Mafalda Machado, Projects & Environmental at GLS Portugal:
“The electric fleet brings new challenges, from vehicle range to charging infrastructure, as well as today’s socio-economic specificities such as vehicle prices and stock shortages. With the help of our partners Astara (representative of Maxus vehicles), Inquieto, and Mdobility, we were able to dispel some myths and doubts about charging structures, vehicles, and electric mobility in general. We were very pleased with the participation and engagement during the event and with the interest shown. We plan to hold more events to address and deepen the questions raised, aiming to inform, clarify, and transparently support our partners, giving them the tools they need to prepare for well-informed decision-making in electric mobility.”
To meet the goals set by the Paris Agreement and the targets proposed by the European Commission, GLS launched Climate Protect, a program designed to reinforce the company’s commitment to reducing and eliminating 100% of emissions from its operations.
“We already offset 100% of our emissions and aim to have 100% of our corporate fleet made up of electric vehicles and 50% of our distribution fleet composed of electric or low-emission vehicles by 2030,” adds GLS Portugal.
According to Iván Rivero, Quality & Security Manager at GLS Portugal:
“This initiative, framed within the ambitious GLS Group energy transition program ‘Climate Protect,’ will be the first of many actions that will encompass all the latest developments in the automotive market, charging solutions, legal frameworks, and investment support for the GLS Portugal Agency Network.”