The logistics company DHL Group and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Ford have announced the extension of their longstanding cooperation in e-mobility: by the end of 2025, 2,400 new e-transporters from Ford Pro are to supplement the delivery fleet in the German parcel and mail sector. Two models will be used: the E-Transit, Europe's best-selling electric transporter in the 3.5-ton segment, and the 3-ton E-Transit Custom, also Europe’s number 1 among fully electric compact vans.
The majority of the vehicles have already been delivered, and DHL has drawn a positive interim balance. In total, the number of Ford Pro e-transporters used in the Post & Parcel Germany (P&P) business unit amounts to 4,900 vehicles. This makes Ford one of the largest suppliers of e-vehicles for Deutsche Post and DHL. The total number of e-vehicles used in P&P increases to approximately 35,000 - by far the largest electric delivery fleet in Germany.
"Ford is an important partner for us in our goal to further electrify the last mile in delivery," explains Nikola Hagleitner, Head of Post & Parcel Germany at the DHL Group.
Claudia Vogt, Director of Ford Pro for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, stated that they want to
support Deutsche Post and DHL in electrifying their fleet with e-transporters. DHL uses the E-Transit for urban parcel delivery. The cargo volume amounts to 18 cubic meters, which corresponds to approximately 200 parcels. With its battery capacity of 68 kWh, the E-Transit achieves an electric range of up to 315 kilometers (km). Ford Pro now also offers the electric transporter with a larger 89 kWh battery and up to 402 km range as an option. However, the smaller battery option is perfectly adequate for DHL's use in urban areas, according to practical experience. There, the average route lengths are 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 is used in bundled delivery, i.e., the joint delivery of letters and parcels in more rural and suburban areas. Its cargo 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.
Telematics and On-Site Service Package
The partnership includes a
package of solutions in addition to the vehicles to efficiently operate the electric fleet. Ford Pro provides its connected e-telematics software. In addition, Deutsche Post and DHL use the mobile service from the Cologne-based company. Specially trained technicians from the nationwide network of Ford Transit Centers can complete around 70 percent of routine maintenance and repair work directly on site at the DHL depots. Furthermore, the manufacturer offers a maintenance contract tailored to the specific application of each customer. For the conversion and customization of the vehicles, tailored solutions are also provided, using the expertise of certified conversion partners who have been collaborating with the manufacturer for years. As a result, the aim is to increase efficiency and productivity, reportedly raising the operating time of the connected e-transporters by up to six hours per month.
Longstanding Cooperation between DHL Group and Ford
The companies look back on a longstanding collaboration in e-mobility. In 2018 and 2019, both companies even operated joint vehicle production at the Ford site in Cologne. In those two years, they built "StreetScooter Work XL" e-transporters together with the postal subsidiary StreetScooter GmbH. The vehicle was based on a Transit chassis equipped with a
battery-electric drivetrain and a body designed to Deutsche Post specifications. More than 2,100 units of this vehicle type are still in use in DHL parcel delivery. In 2020, the joint vehicle production was ended as part of the StreetScooter sales process. In 2022, a strategic partnership was concluded to accelerate the deployment of e-transporters for global logistics operations.
DHL Strategy 2030: Accelerating Sustainable Growth
The logistics company 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 business unit, the plan is to increase the delivery fleet to 37,000 e-vehicles by the end of the year.
The E-Transit was the first fully electric transporter that the manufacturer brought to the market in 2022. Since then, all four Transit series have been electrified. They range from the high-roof E-Transit Courier, through the compact Transporter Connect plug-in hybrid, to the compact one-ton payload van E-Transit Custom and the E-Transit from the 2-ton payload segment. The electrified range is completed by the Ranger Plug-in
