Australia Post to roll out 500 electric three-wheelers to replace petrol bikes by Christmas

Hearing a postie’s motorcycle roar up your street could become a thing of the past after Australia Post revealed plans to add more electric tricycles to its delivery network.

The service announced the rollout of 500 three-wheeled electric vehicles on Tuesday, which will replace petrol-powered motorbikes and are expected to join its fleet before the Christmas rush.

The vehicles could also accelerate the delivery of online purchases, as each is equipped to carry an extra 120 parcels.

Australia Post’s announcement is the latest in a series of electric upgrades for transport firms, coming one month after FedEx revealed plans to add 55 electric vans and trucks to its network, and following similar investments by ANC Delivers, Team Global Express and Linfox.

The latest electric vehicles to hit Australian roads, called Rapide 3, will feature a built-in canopy, three wheels for stability, a top speed of 80km/h, and a range of up to 180km on a single charge.

The vehicles, which were tested by drivers over 15 months, will also be able to carry 150 parcels at a time, Australia Post group chief executive officer Paul Graham said, which would be vital to keep up with demand during the busy festive season.

“That means people will be able to get more rapid delivery for their e-commerce orders, which is obviously an area that continues to grow… for ourselves and others,” he told AAP.

“We employ about an extra 3000 to 3500 people for (the) peak period and it’ll be great to have these new vehicles on the road, in the community, helping us deliver for what we hope will be another record peak season.”

The three-wheelers will replace traditional motorcycles that were “still the most dangerous vehicles” in the fleet, Mr Graham said, and would be introduced in every state and territory.

They will join a fleet of 5600 electric vehicles, including Fuso eCanter trucks, Mercedes-Benz eVito vans and DUTY battery-powered motorbikes, that were recharged at 37 stations built for the postal service.

Replacing smaller delivery vehicles with electric models was the natural first step to removing emissions from its fleet, Mr Graham said, although the company was investigating ways to tackle pollution from long-haul, heavy-duty trucks and air freight to reach net zero by 2050.

“We continue to focus on the smaller vehicles because they are the ones that are most commercially sensible at this time,” he said.

“We do have smaller trucks on the road that are involved in… local-type deliveries and we are continuing to test the larger prime movers but it’s fair to say that the commercials on those are still challenging.”

Its latest investment comes after sales of electric cars rose to reach 11.3 per cent of new vehicles in September, and after similar investments from other transport and logistics firms.

Earlier in 2025, ANC Delivers announced it had added 111 electric vehicles to its fleet in a project co-funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and Linfox announced plans to buy 30 heavy-duty electric trucks.

AAP