DHL International d.o.o is a company based in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as part of the global DHL Group, which operates in over 220 countries and employs 600,000 people. Globally, the DHL Express division operates over 35,000 vehicles.
DHL Bosnia and Herzegovina has already implemented numerous smart and sustainable solutions, including rainwater collection, a photovoltaic power plant, electric vehicles, as well as waste and paper recycling systems. In the Young Energy Europe trainings, the Energy Scouts Haris Mocevic and Edin Foco learned that the transport sector is responsible for roughly one-fifth of global CO₂ emissions. While designing a practical project, they concentrated on a solution that is cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and directly aligned with the company’s core process: transportation.
Project Implementation
Currently, the local fleet includes six electric vehicles (EVs) with a total battery capacity of 204 kWh. At the end of each workday, the vehicles return with an average of 30% battery charge remaining. Until now, the EVs have been recharged with 70% of the battery capacity as soon as vehicles return to headquarters using six Elexon A01 chargers. As a result, DHL has been drawing 142.8 kWh per day, 3,118 kWh per month, and 37,400 kWh (37.4 MWh) per year from the electrical grid, entirely during peak-rate hours (high electricity tariff). The goal of the project is the optimization of the charging process by shifting it to off-peak hours (low electricity tariff) through automated, delayed overnight charging. This would be achieved by installing a time switch in the charging station’s distribution panel. Under the new system, EVs would be charged on four working days (Monday to Thursday), while the vehicles that were previously charged on Fridays would instead be charged on Saturdays during sunny hours, utilizing the existing 50 kWh photovoltaic power plant as the energy source. This optimization would result in an annual reduction of 5.7 MWh in electricity drawn from the grid, leading to a CO₂ emission reduction of approximately 4.22 t per year.
Economic and Environmental Impact
Currently, the EV-related electricity consumption of 37.4 MWh results in an annual cost of €3,154. By shifting to off-peak charging and utilizing solar energy on Saturdays, the Energy Scouts can reduce this cost to €1,359, achieving annual savings of €1,794, which represents a cost reduction of 56.9%.
Given the anticipated increase in electricity prices in 2025 and the planned expansion of the electric vehicle fleet, the project savings will likely exceed initial estimates.
Project Status and Future Outlook
The project has been presented to the company management, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive and project implementation is already underway.
Photovoltaics
- Industry sector: Courier services, logistics, transport
- Energy source: Electricity, photovoltaic power plant
- Electricity savings potential: 5.7 MWh less electricity drawn from the grid annually
- CO2 emissions savings potential: 4.22 tons of CO₂/year (electricity)
- Potential cost reduction: €1,793/year
- Investment costs: Negligible
- Company:
DHL International d.o.o.
Rajlovačka cesta bb
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
https://mydhl.express.dhl/ba/bs/home.html
