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The DHL Group and Ford are further expanding their long-standing cooperation in e-mobility: By the end of 2025, 2,400 new e-vans from Ford Pro will strengthen the delivery fleet in the German parcel and postal sector. Two models will be used: the E-Transit, Europe’s best-selling electric van in the 2-ton segment, and its smaller brother, the E-Transit Custom, which is also Europe’s number one in fully electric one-ton vans.
(Bonn/Cologne) The majority of the vehicles have already been delivered, and DHL is drawing a positive interim balance. After this milestone, the number of Ford Pro e-vans used in the Post & Parcel Germany (P&P) division amounts to 4,900 vehicles. This makes Ford one of the largest suppliers of electric vehicles for Deutsche Post and DHL. The total number of e-vehicles used in P&P thus increases to around 35,000 – by far the largest electric delivery fleet in Germany.
Nikola Hagleitner, Board Member for Post & Parcel Germany at DHL Group, says: “We are pleased about the further expansion of our proven collaboration with Ford in e-mobility. Ford is an important partner for us in our goal to further electrify the last mile in delivery. We also receive very positive feedback from our delivery personnel regarding Ford’s e-vehicles. Together, we are making a significant contribution to making parcel and postal delivery in Germany more sustainable.”
Claudia Vogt, Director of Ford Pro for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, says: “We are proud to support Deutsche Post and DHL in electrifying their fleet with Europe’s most successful e-vans. This further expands our strategic partnership, which goes beyond just vehicle delivery. By providing not only our E-Transit models but also our Ford Pro ecosystem of smart software and service solutions, we increase the uptime and productivity of the DHL fleet.”
Route lengths average 20 to 30 kilometers
DHL uses the E-Transit for urban parcel delivery. The cargo space volume is 18 cubic meters, which corresponds to approximately 200 parcels that can be transported in the vehicle. With its battery capacity of 68 kWh, the E-Transit achieves an electric range of up to 315 kilometers (km). Ford Pro even offers the electric van with a larger 89 kWh battery and a range of up to 402 km as an option. However, the smaller battery option is completely sufficient for DHL’s use in urban areas, where route lengths average 20 to 30 kilometers. Compared to a comparable combustion engine, the E-Transit saves 4 tons of CO2e and 1,200 liters of diesel per year.
The smaller E-Transit Custom operates in combined delivery, meaning the joint delivery of letters and parcels in more rural and suburban areas. Its cargo space volume is 6.8 cubic meters, its battery capacity is 64 kWh, and its range is up to 328 kilometers. Compared to a comparable combustion engine, the E-Transit Custom saves 4 tons of CO2e and 1,200 liters of diesel per year.
Complete package of solutions
However, the partnership between Ford Pro and Deutsche Post and DHL includes not only the delivery of electric vans but also a complete package of solutions to operate the electric fleet as efficiently as possible. Ford Pro provides its connected e-telematics software. Additionally, Deutsche Post and DHL utilize Ford Pro’s mobile service. Specially trained technicians from the nationwide network of Ford Transit Centers can perform around 70 percent of the usual maintenance and repair work directly on-site at DHL depots with their service vans.
To ensure the best possible maintenance quality, Ford Pro also offers a maintenance contract tailored to the specific application of each customer for all vehicles. Ford Pro also has customized solutions for the assembly and conversion of vehicles, utilizing the expertise of certified conversion partners who have been collaborating with the manufacturer for years.
With its smart software and service solutions, Ford Pro reduces the downtime of fleet vehicles and increases the efficiency and productivity of fleet management for its business customers. In the case of Deutsche Post and DHL, the Ford Pro ecosystem increases the uptime of the connected e-vans by up to six hours per month.
Long-standing collaboration
DHL Group and Ford have a long-standing collaboration in e-mobility. In 2018 and 2019, both companies even operated a joint vehicle production at the Ford site in Cologne. Over the two years, e-vans of the type “StreetScooter Work XL” were built together with the postal subsidiary StreetScooter GmbH. The vehicle was based on a Ford Transit chassis equipped with a battery-electric drive system and a body structure according to the specifications of Deutsche Post. More than 2,100 units of this vehicle type are still in use in DHL’s parcel delivery. In 2020, the joint vehicle production was concluded as part of the StreetScooter sales process.
In 2022, Ford Pro and DHL agreed on a strategic partnership in a mutual letter of intent to accelerate the deployment of electric vans for global logistics operations.
DHL Group aims to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. As an interim step, the share of e-vehicles in the delivery fleet for the first and last mile is to be increased to over 66 percent by 2030. In the Post & Parcel Germany division, the plan is to increase the own delivery fleet to 37,000 e-vehicles by the end of the year.
Complete Pro fleet electrified
The E-Transit was the first fully electric van that Ford Pro launched in 2022. All four Transit series are now electrified: from the high-roof van E-Transit Courier, through the compact van Connect plug-in hybrid, to the one-ton E-Transit Custom and the E-Transit from the 2-ton segment. The electrified Ford Pro fleet is completed by the Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid, which has only recently been available in Ford dealers’ showrooms.
Photo: © DHL
