Australia Post contractor David Freeman is electrifying his delivery fleet based in Longreach, Central Queensland, by switching from petrol-powered scooters to the battery-electric Benzina Zero Duo.
Freeman runs the Licensed Post Office (LPO) in Longreach and delivers the mail within the town and surrounding regions.
He says the unique tubular frame of the Benzina Zero Duo EV scooter first caught his attention.
“It was the practicality of the Duo design that impressed me. No other scooter on the market has this carrying capacity level, far more than any of our previous two-wheelers,” Freeman says.
As we carry more parcels today, this will streamline our delivery capacity. The Duo is super rugged with no plastic body panels to damage, and when we get to end-of-life, there is less to recycle.”
“We look forward to using the Duo’s in Longreach’s mail run as we can operate these vehicles on a car licence. We have purchased extra batteries to charge them from our solar system at our post office. The benefits of the low running costs and reduced servicing requirements compared to my old bikes, the Duo is very cost-effective.”
“I have already been speaking with other main contractors looking to make the switch, and the Duo is the perfect replacement for their petrol two-wheelers,” Freeman says.
Benzina Zero has developed a fitting system to allow a simple installation process utilising the existing Australia Post panniers and top box from the current Honda “Postie” bike.
This allows Australia Post Contractors to continue to use the proven Australia Post equipment and suppliers.
The “Postie” delivery kit includes upgraded folding comfort footrests, a large 53L front basket, a phone holder and USB charger, and the rack adapter mount for the panniers and top box that fits both Duo (50km/h) and Duo+ (65km/h) versions.
Letter sorting bags are also able to be mounted to the handlebars.
There are more than 2900 LPOs in Australia serving regional and rural areas, and Benzina Zero believes the Duo EV scooter has the potential to become as iconic as the familiar Honda ‘Postie Bike.’
