The logistics company DHL Group and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Ford have announced the extension of their long-standing cooperation in e-mobility: By the end of 2025, 2,400 new e-vans from Ford Pro will be added to 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 3.5-ton segment, and the 3-ton E-Transit Custom, also Europe's number 1 among fully electric compact vans. Most of the vehicles have already been delivered, and DHL draws a positive interim conclusion. In total, the number of Ford Pro e-vans used in the Corporate Division Post & Parcel Germany (P&P) is 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 DHL Group.
Claudia Vogt, Director of Ford Pro for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, stated that they are eager to support
Deutsche Post and DHL in electrifying their fleet with e-vans. DHL uses the E-Transit for urban parcel delivery. The cargo volume is 18 cubic meters, which is equivalent to approximately 200 parcels. With its battery capacity of 68 kWh, the E-Transit achieves an electric range of up to 315 kilometers (km). Optionally, Ford Pro now also offers the electric van with a larger 89 kWh battery and up to 402 km range. However, the smaller battery option is entirely sufficient for DHL's use in urban areas, according to practical experience. Here, tour 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 is used in combined delivery, which is the joint delivery of letters and parcels in more rural and suburban areas. Its cargo volume is 6.8 cubic meters, its battery capacity 64 kWh, and its range 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 alongside the
vehicles to operate the electric fleet efficiently. Ford Pro provides its connected e-telematics software. Additionally, 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 perform around 70 percent of the usual maintenance and repair work directly on-site at DHL depots with their service vans. Moreover, the manufacturer offers a maintenance contract tailored to the specific use case of each customer. They also have customized solutions for the conversion and modification of vehicles, utilizing the expertise of certified conversion partners who have been working with the manufacturer for years. As a result, they aim to increase efficiency and productivity; reportedly, the operating time of the connected e-vans increases by up to six hours per month.
Long-standing collaboration between DHL Group and Ford
The companies look back on a long-standing collaboration in e-mobility. In 2018 and 2019, both companies even operated joint vehicle production at the Ford site in Cologne. There, together with the Post subsidiary StreetScooter GmbH, e-vans of the type “StreetScooter Work XL” were built over two years. The vehicle was based on a Transit chassis, equipped with an all-electric powertrain
and a bodywork built to the specifications of the Deutsche Post. 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 in the course of the StreetScooter sales process. In 2022, a strategic partnership was signed to accelerate the use of e-vans for global logistics operations.
DHL Strategy 2030: Accelerate Sustainable Growth
The logistics provider 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 Corporate Division Post & Parcel Germany, the plan is to increase their own delivery fleet to 37,000 e-vehicles by the end of the year.
The E-Transit was the first all-electric van that the manufacturer launched on the market in 2022. Meanwhile, all four Transit series are electrified. The range extends from the high-roof combination E-Transit Courier, over 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 complements the Ranger Plug-in-Hybrid.
