DHL, one of the largest logistics companies in the world, started its StreetScooter subsidiary to build electric vehicles for its own fleet, but it is now emerging as an important electric vehicle manufacturer.

Now they are expanding in even larger vehicles with the help of Ford, which has now started production of its all-electric Streetscooter WORK XL delivery vehicles.

Last year, Deutsche Post announced that Ford won an important contract to build 2,500 all-electric vans for the logistic company.

The e-van’s platform is built to fit a modular battery system that can hold modules between 30 and 90 kWh of energy, which they claim can enable a range of between 80 km (50 miles) and 200 km (124 miles). They are charged with a 22 kW onboard charger.

As for the load capacity, The truck has a load volume capacity of 20 cubic meters, which is enough storage space for over 200 parcels or about 1,350 kg.

Today, DHL and Ford announced that they started production at the automaker’s Cologne-Niehl factory:

“In the production factory in Cologne-Niehl, around 180 Ford employees work in two shifts to build up to 16 WORK XL models per day. This results in a production capacity of up to 3,500 vehicles per year.”

At that plant, they are marrying the chassis and the electric powertrain. The chassis is produced at the Ford Otosan plant in Kocaeli, Turkey.

Jörg Beyer, Managing Director Product Development at Ford-Werke GmbH, commented the launch of production:

“The cooperation with StreetScooter and the Deutsche Post DHL Group is a partnership at eye level, in which both sides throw their special skills into the balance. And we at Ford, as Europe’s market leader, know how to successfully build high-quality commercial vehicles in series.”

The whole StreetScooter effort started as a way for DHL to electrify its own fleet, but it has now emerged as a standalone important electric vehicle manufacturer.

Aside from its new partnership with Ford for bigger vehicles, the company has now a second factory to double its production capacity to “up to 20,000 electric vans per year.”

On top of its own vehicles, the logistics company is also buying electric semi trucks from Daimler and Tesla.

Its StreetScooter subsidiary is also selling to other companies. For example, the ‘British milkman’, Milk and More, announced that it is buying 200 new StreetScooters.

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