Royal Mail introduces solar-powered postboxes
Royal Mail has given Britain's recognisable red pillar postbox the "biggest redesign in its 175-year history", integrating solar panels to power digitally activated drawers for larger parcels. The 3,500 new designs, billed as "the postboxes of the future", will be rolled out across the UK within the coming months. Solar panels are fitted to the The post Royal Mail introduces solar-powered postboxes appeared first on Dezeen.
Royal Mail has given Britain's recognisable red pillar postbox the "biggest redesign in its 175-year history", integrating solar panels to power digitally activated drawers for larger parcels.
The 3,500 new designs, billed as "the postboxes of the future", will be rolled out across the UK within the coming months.
Solar panels are fitted to the roof of each postbox and oriented due south for optimal sun exposure.
The energy generated by the photovoltaics powers a barcode scanner, used to open an integrated drawer that can accommodate parcels as big as a shoebox. Each postbox is also fitted with a separate slot for smaller letters, as per tradition.
"The reimagining of the iconic red postbox is the biggest redesign in its 175-year history," said Royal Mail.
The post service's aim with the new postboxes is to capture a slice of the ever-rising number of parcels being posted in lockers via competitors such as inPost or Yodel, with the continued growth of e-commerce.
"We are all sending and returning more parcels than ever before," said Jack Clarkson, a managing director at Royal Mail.
"This trend will only continue as online shopping shows no signs of slowing, particularly with the boom of second-hand marketplaces."
Following pilot schemes in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire in April, the postboxes will now be rolled out nationwide, starting in cities such as Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland.
The first red pillar boxes appeared in Britain around 1853 and have since become staples of the nation's streetscape. Last November, British artist Alex Chinneck created constricted versions of the iconic postboxes as part of a playful project in Bristol.
Most of Royal Mail's other design efforts focus on commemorative stamps, with recent collections marking 50 years of UK Pride and another paying homage to classic video games.
The photography is courtesy of Royal Mail.
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