Ford, DHL Reveal Streetscooter XL Electric Delivery Van

Ford will partner with Deutsche Post DHL Group to put 150 Transit-based electric delivery vans on the road in Germany by the end of the year. They'll call the haulers the StreetScooter Work XL, and the Blue Oval will aim to build 2,500 of them by the end of 2018.

"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," Jürgen Gerdes, Deutsche Post DHL Group management board member, said about the new deal.

Ford will StreetScooter Work XL with batteries between 30 and 90 kilowatt hours of capacity, and they'll give the vans 50 miles (80 kilometers) to 124 miles (200 kilometers) of range on a charge. Each year, a single van will potentially prevent the production of 11,023 pounds (5,000 kilograms) of CO2 and save 502 gallons (1,900 liters) of diesel fuel, according to DHL.

Inside, delivery drivers will be able to carry more than 200 packages. Doors in the tailgate and a sliding one on the curb side make unloading items easy.

DHL already has over 3,000 StreetScooter Work and Work L electric vehicles in its delivery fleet in Germany. Not all of them are based on Ford's, though. When DHL couldn't find a company willing to build bespoke vans for the firm, the firm bought Streetscooter project and started building them itself. The business pledged to eventually replace a fleet of around 30,000 delivery vehicles with Streetscooter models.

EVs make immediate torque, which makes them well suited for hauling heavy loads for deliveries. For example, fuel-cell vans from Toyota will soon be carrying goods to 7-Eleven stores in Japan.