DHL Group and Ford presented the first of their jointly produced electric delivery vans, or ‘e-van’, today in Cologne, Germany.

The vehicle, StreetScooter Work XL, is based on a Ford Transit chassis fitted with a battery-electric drivetrain and a body designed and built to Deutsche Post DHL specifications.

The e-van is fitted with a modular battery system delivering 30 kWh to 90 kWh of power, giving it a range of between 80 km and 200 km.

A spokesperson said: “Each Work XL could save around five tonnes of CO2 and 1,900 litres of diesel fuel each year. With 2,500 vehicles in service as planned, this could result in a total saving of 12,500 tonnes of CO2 and 4.75 million litres of fuel every year.”

In 2017, around 150 early build e-vans will be manufactured in the StreetScooter plant in Aachen, Germany, to be used in DHL’s urban parcel delivery fleet.

Deutsche Post DHL, StreetScooter and Ford plan to build 2,500 e-vans by the end of 2018 and can be sold to third-party customers.

Ford Motor Company’s group vice president and president for Europe, Middle East and Africa Steven Armstrong said: “We’re really proud of this ambitious project, and of the strong partnership we’ve developed with Deutsche Post DHL Group and StreetScooter.

“This joint project will be Europe’s largest manufacturer of emission-free, medium-sized e-vans, and it doesn’t come a moment too soon.

“Buses, cars, and of course, delivery vans play vital roles in our daily lives, but we have to find a way to make them cleaner. This project is a great step along this path.”

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