Tomi Virrankoski and Marko Enberg (Posti) are the winners of the 2023 IPC Drivers’ challenge, with Stijn Aerts and Joeri Custers (bpost 1) placing second and Jesse Baerwaldt and Marc Boer (PostNL TGN) in third place.
IPC produced a short video report about the event. The video is available below.
We also produced an extended verion of the video including particpants' impressions
Pictures of the event are available below.
The 2023 edition featured a record number of twelve teams from various postal operators around Europe who sent their best drivers to complete challenges in eco-driving, car handling and delivery efficiency.
Teams from bpost (Belgium - 2), Correos (Spain), CTT Portugal Post (Portugal); Le Groupe La Poste (France - 2), Posti (Finland), PostNord (Denmark), PostNL (the Netherlands - 3), PostNord (Sweden-Denmark) and Swisspost geared up on 7 and 8 February in Zandvoort, in the Netherlands for the sixth edition of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge. All posts have sent their best team, mostly selected through national competition or continuous measurement of driving behaviour. For the first time all components of the Drivers Challenge were performed exclusively by full electric vehicles.
Looking back at the event, Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC, said: “After being postponed for several years because of the pandemic, we are very pleased to be able to once again organise the IPC Drivers’ Challenge with the higher ever number of participants, showing the growing awareness among postal employees of sustainability and eco-driving. For the first time, the event is fully electric, reflecting the postal industry commitment to increasingly replace their fleet with alternative-fuel vehicles.”
The teams were submerged in all aspects of the postal delivery chain. The atmosphere was friendly, though competitive and all teams displayed an excellent level of professionalism and dedication in each of the competition subcategories. The Finnish team excelled in all aspects of the competition, and rightfully took this year’s IPC Drivers’ Challenge trophy home. Teams from Belgium and Finland ranked second and third respectively.
As in previous editions, participating teams consisted of a professional driver and a postal manager. Tests in this edition of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge included:
• a theory test
• a series of car checks
• a challenging combination of car handling exercises,
• a 37 km-long eco-driving route combining the Zandvoort racing track experience and the surrounding villages and dunes.
• A 25km-long delivery route combining driving and the delivery exercise on the public road
The IPC Drivers’ Challenge goes fully electric
As the use of alternative vehicles is steadily increasing in the whole postal sector, it was important that it was also highlighted in IPC’s eco-driving competition. This year, teams performed all the driving and agility tests on full electric vehicles. In 2022, 24% of the vehicles in the postal fleet are alternative vehicles and 17% are electric.
At the occiasion of this year’s IPC Drivers’ Challenge, PostNL used a number of brand new electric vehicles for the competition, which offered a unique driving experience to the drivers, as well as a look into what future postal delivery looks like.
Two side-awards were also presented this year, an eco-driving efficiency award, rewarding the team who performed best in eco-driving, and managed to drive in the most energy-efficient way and a sportsmanship award, for the team that showed the best attitude, fair play and motivation, fully in line with the focus of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge on staff engagement. Stijn Aerts and Joeri Custers displayed excellent driving behaviour in the electric VW ID. Buzz Cargo and were rewarded the efficiency award, while Valon Bega and João Pedro Gouveia Lopes Henriques lead by example in displaying great team spirit an positive attitude were rewarded the sportsmanship award.
Drivers’ Challenge as part of IPC postal sector sustainability programme
The Drivers’ Challenge is part of IPC’s sustainability programme, launched in 2009, bringing together 28 posts from Europe, America, Africa and Asia Pacific. IPC’s Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS) provides a common carbon measurement and reporting framework based on internationally recognised standards and open to all posts globally. The IPC programme assesses both carbon management proficiency and absolute carbon emissions reductions and carbon efficiency of participating posts
