DHL, Ford show off 'early build' larger electric van based on Transit

After announcing a collaboration with Ford some months ago to develop a heavier-duty electric delivery vehicle, Deutsche Post DHL Group and the automaker this week took the wraps off the Streetscooter Work XL in Cologne, Germany.

This follows on DHL's acquisition of Streetscooter, which offered a light van-type electric delivery vehicle with a small box in the rear, and arrangement to produce that smaller unit as a part of DHL's clean fleet efforts. DHL is also looking to sell those Streetscooters to outside parties — and in that regard, DHL Express CEO Ken Allen said last month that some of those could be headed "down under" to an Australian customer.  

The new Work XL variant will be available for outside purchase as well. For now, DHL and Ford said that "around 150" of the larger electric delivery vans will be manufactured this year at the Streetscooter plant in Aachen, Germany and will be put to use in DHL's parcel delivery fleet. By the end of 2018, DHL, Ford and Streetscooter are looking to have rolled 2,500 of the upsized electric vans off the assembly line.