Launch of new StreetScooter Work XL has Australian arm’s focus
Deutsche Post DHL’s (DPDHL’s) link with Ford in their StreetScooter Work XL launch has put the large electric delivery vehicle (e-van) on the agenda for DHL’s local arm.
StreetScooter Work XL is significantly bigger than the original 4-8 cubic metre capacity vehicle and comes with a lithium ion powered battery-electric drivetrain and a body designed and built to DPDHL specifications on a Ford Transit chassis.
“We are investigating a range of electric vehicle solutions, including the StreetScooter, to assess the suitability for Australian roads,” a DHL spokesperson tells ATN.
“We’re aiming to introduce more green and environmentally-friendly vehicles into Australia, aligning with our DPDHL target of operating 70 per cent of our own first and last mile services globally with clean pick-up and delivery solutions by 2025.”
The parent group’s plan is for 150 ‘early build’ e-vans to be manufactured in the StreetScooter plant in Aachen.
These will support urban parcel delivery services in Germany.
“It is the perfect vehicle for parcel deliveries in major cities and large urban areas, and will enable us to cope with the rising parcel volumes in an even more environmentally friendly and quieter manner,” DPDHL board member responsible for post, ecommerce and parcel Jürgen Gerdes says.
“With this commitment, we are also underlining our claim of being the market leader in green logistics.”
Deutsche Post DHL Group, StreetScooter and Ford plan to build 2,500 e-vans by the end of next year.
Like StreetScooter’s existing electric models – the Work and Work L – the Work XL could be also sold to third-party customers.
“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,” Ford group vice president and Europe, Middle East & Africa president Steven Armstrong says.
“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.”
Top speed is put at 85 km/h and, depending on the number of stops, range is up to 200km, which is around the minimum needed to cover Australia’s more spread-out larger cities.
Charging time is to be three hours
The vehicle is to have 150 kW of power and 300 Nm of torque and capable of handling 1.35 tonnes of payload in 20 cubic metres of storage.
DPDHL reports it has more than 3,000 Work and Work L models in service in Germany.