XPress, South Africa’s first all-electric vehicle (EV) courier company, is now live.
The courier service was created by Alex Staniland to solve the challenges of another of his businesses – Smart Home retailer mUther – which was unhappy with the service levels from its established courier partners.
The solution, XPress, is a standalone overnight courier operating in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo, and is initially powered exclusively by three BYD Dolphin electric vehicles.
Each delivery costs R99, and can comprise up to 30kg.
XPress guarantees your delivery will reach its destination the following day if it is booked before 10:00, while parcel tracking is available through a portal on the XPress website.
XPress is not limited to mUther customers. The Bring It service allows customers to scan the QR code on an XPress vehicle they encounter on the road, which will send them to a portal where they can book and pay for a delivery instantly.
The driver will then accept the parcel on the spot, and take it directly to its destination.
Moving forward, Staniland said XPress is in talks to offer its service in other regions like Durban, Cape Town, and Nelspruit, and has plans to add additional EVs to its fleet for intra-city deliveries.
BYD Dolphin
The vehicle used by XPress, the BYD Dolphin, is an electric hatchback that was launched in South Africa last year.
It is priced at R539,900 for the standard-range model, while the extended-range model costs R599,900.
The standard-range model provides a total driving range of 340km, as well as 70kW and 180Nm performance.
The extended-range version can achieve up to 427km thanks to its larger battery, while also delivering substantially more power – 150kW and 310Nm.
While XPress has not confirmed which model it is using, it has referred to its vehicles boasting over 400km on a single charge, suggesting it is using the extended-range model.
Both models offer identical interior features.
These include automatic LED lights with high-beam assist, keyless entry and start, climate control, a 5-inch digital instrument cluster, a rotating 12.8-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and much more.
Drivers also benefit from many features that improve the driving experience.
These features include front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure features, blind-spot detection, driver fatigue monitoring, and more.
Staniland said XPress has customized its models to make them better for deliveries.
This involved removing the passenger and rear seats, “essentially turning them into little panel vans.”
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