Ford and Deutsche Post Group subsidiary StreetScooter GmbH have rolled out the first of their jointly produced electric delivery vans, the StreetScooter Work XL.

The Work XL is based on a Ford Transit chassis fitted with a battery-electric drivetrain and a body designed and built to Deutsche Post's DHL specifications. The company plans to build 150 of the e-vans at the StreetScooter plant in Aachen, Germany, which DHL will run to support its urban parcel service in Germany.

The two companies plan to build 2,500 e-vans by the end of 2018 and they could be sold to third-party customers like StreetScooter’s other electric models, the Work and Work’L. The new e-van will have stowage space for more than 200 packages, and a range of 50 to 125 miles.

“The new StreetScooter Work XL expands our e-fleet in the commercial vehicle segment. 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,” said Jürgen Gerdes, member of the board of management post, eCommerce, parcel, at Deutsche Post DHL Group. "With this commitment, we are also underlining our claim of being the market leader in green logistics.”

Work XL’s load area is fitted with shelves and is accessible from the driver’s cab. The vehicle can be loaded via the tailgate and a curbside sliding door. With a charging capacity of up to 22 kW, the average charging time is three hours.

“We’re really proud of this ambitious project, and of the strong partnership, we’ve developed with Deutsche Post DHL Group and StreetScooter. 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,” said Steven Armstrong, group vice president and president, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ford Motor Company. “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.”