Deutsche Post shifts from being an OEM fleet customer to a competitor

12 April 2017

12 April 2017 The electric StreetScooter delivery vehicle which was previously only used by the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DP) for its own postal and courier services is now being offered to external customers. At least half of this year’s output is already earmarked for external customers, which DP sees largely as authorities, strategic partners and large fleets in Germany and across Europe. With this move, DP is shifting from its traditional role as a key fleet customer for OEMs to becoming a competitor. The electric vehicle (EV) is available in two configurations with prices starting from €32,000 and is also eligible for the €4,000 EV subsidy in Germany. The base ‘Work’ model has a 38kW power output and a range of 80km and the larger ′Work L’ model achieves the same range with a larger electric motor that produces 45kW. StreetScooter GmbH even offers the supporting charging infrastructure and a larger vehicle, the ′Work XL’, with a load area of up to 20 m³ is expected early in 2018.  The StreetScooter has been a rare success story as far as electric delivery vehicles are concerned, to the extent that DP cannot produce enough vehicles to meet demand. Consequently, DP plans to double production capacity to 20,000 vehicles by the end of the year and to achieve this, is adding a second production facility in the German state of North Rhine Westphalia. DP itself intends to double the size of its own 2500-strong fleet and was the first logistics company to announce a few weeks ago that it will reduce logistics-related emissions to zero by the year 2050.  JÜrgen Gerdes, member of the board for post, eCommerce and parcels at Deutsche Post DHL Group, said: ′The great demand for the StreetScooter and our own ambitious climate protection targets have encouraged us to further expand our commitment to electric mobility and to make our know-how available to others, thus underpinning our claim to remain the engine of electromobility and market leaders in green logistics.’  There is even the possibility of a third plant for the StreetScooter, ′closer to possible third-party customers.’ Speaking to the Rheinische Post newspaper, Gerdes said that; ′Practically every week, at least one business partner asks me if we can sell them one or more Streetscooter. Since we already use 2,500 vehicles in Germany and 100 in the Netherlands with great success and with high reliability, the way is free for a wide marketing in all of Germany and Europe.‘  ′This opens up an interesting market segment for other delivery companies or tradesmen,‘ Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a car expert at the University of Duisburg-Essen, told the Rheinische Post. Dudenhöffer also pointed out that the Streetscooter was the fourth bestselling pure electric car in Germany in 2016, with 1669 registrations, and only Renault, BMW and Tesla sold more. ′Given that the [Deutsche] Post has no external customers, that is a lot. And given that many cities are considering driving bans for diesel, there are very great chances.‘  Photograph courtesy of Deutsche Post DHL Group 
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