Deutsche Post subsidiary StreetScooter GmbH and Ford-Werke GmbH have entered a partnership to manufacture battery-electric delivery vehicles.
It follows the development of Deutsche Post’s smaller van option the StreetScooter which will now be expanded to a larger vehicle style of which the chassis of the Ford Transit will provide the technical basis.
Production is to begin next month and by the end of 2018 Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to be running at least 2,500 such vehicles, marking the largest manufacturing project of battery-electric medium-duty delivery vehicles in Europe.
“I consider this partnership another important boost for electro-mobility in Germany”, says Jürgen Gerdes, member of the executive board of the Deutsche Post AG. “This step will relieve the inner cities and increase the people’s quality of life. We will continue working on completely carbon neutral CO2-neutral logistics.”
“E-Mobility and innovative traffic solutions for urban areas are key focuses for us as we transform our business to meet future challenges,” says Steven Armstrong, group vice president and president Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company. “As the leader in commercial vehicles in Europa, this partnership plays perfectly to our strengths and in StreetScooter and the Deutsche Post DHL Group we have a partner with enormous competence and a worldwide network.”
Manufacturing of the StreetScooter range is also to be expanded with 20,000 units per year planned for the small electrical delivery van in different versions in Aachen and another site in North Rhine-Westphalia. Today, there are already 2,500 StreetScooters used by Deutsche Post throughout Germany.
Image credit: Deutsche Post
