Sendy Ltd, a tech-logistics company, and META Electric, an electric vehicle dealer and leaser, have teamed up to introduce electric-powered vans to safeguard small businesses from expensive logistics and reduce their carbon footprint.

Through this partnership, Sendy will expand its inventory of four-wheel delivery vans available to its clients on its digitized platform, at a lower cost and in a cleaner environment, at a time when customer demand for shipments of freight weighing more than 500 kilograms is surging.

Due to the electric vans’ lower cost of operation in terms of fuel and maintenance, typical users of EVs will save up to 75% and this translates to cheaper rates for Sendy customers.

The agreement comes at a time when the market is experiencing a boom in last-mile delivery. According to a World Economic Forum report, consumer e-commerce deliveries are expected to grow by 25% post-pandemic. By 2030, e-commerce deliveries are expected to account for 78 percent of all global sales, with a 36 percent increase in the number of delivery vehicles in the world’s top 100 cities.

Two months ago, Sendy partnered with electric vehicle provider ARC Ride to deploy 3-wheeler (3W) electric vehicles, also known as E3’s, for the last-mile delivery solution, and reduce carbon footprint.

According to Harry Minter, META Electric’s Director, the organization’s lease model allows anyone, from small businesses to large enterprises, to shift their fleet to cheaper and cleaner electric vehicles without incurring exorbitant upfront costs. They also profit from lower operating expenses, reduced CO2  and pollution emissions, and improved brand equity.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Sendy to help them electrify their fleet of four-wheelers. Operators in Kenya’s urban logistics industry must quickly adopt new technology in order to mitigate climate change, which is negatively harming the entire continent. Together, Meta Electric and Sendy can play a critical role in helping Kenya handle this challenge and cut its GHG emissions by 30% by 2030 in compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement by adding more cost-effective and environmentally friendly vehicles into their fleet.”

Sendy is expanding its transportation logistics capabilities to four-wheel vehicles from two-wheel vehicles in order to exploit new market opportunities in urban logistics in more cost-effective and environmentally friendly ways, according to Sendy’s Fulfilment Project Manager Thatcher Mweu.

“Sendy is employing cutting-edge technology to enable businesses without in-house logistics skills to trade cost-effectively and reliably, as well as transporters to supplement their income with extra revenue-generating logistical options. Mr. Alloys added, “This relationship with META electric strengthens that desire even more because it will enable our partners to trade.”

Sendy recently launched a van delivery campaign offering small businesses a 40% discount in order to expand its delivery van capacity and service additional businesses. Overall, it has expanded into East and West Africa, serving over 100,000 cross-continental enterprises and individuals, operating an on-demand fleet of over 5,000 cars, and completing over one million deliveries.

It recently repositioned its strategic direction to help meet the needs of its customers. Sendy Transport, Sendy Freight, and Sendy Supply, the company’s reorganized business units, provide first-to-last-mile delivery for packages and cargo, as well as everything in between.