Deutsche Post DHL has signed an agreement to acquire German firm StreetScooter GmbH, a formerstart-up committed to developing affordable electric vehicles and an existing cooperation
partner.The deal also covers the development and production rights to the StreetScooter electricvehicles and with the company’s employees.
Deutsche Post DHL and StreetScooter GmbH, a spin-off of Aachen University in NorthRhine-Westphalia, started their cooperation in 2011 and developed the dedicated StreetScooter. Thise-van has a range of up to 120 kilometres (during the daily postal routine max. 80 km), and is wellsuited for mail and parcel delivery.
Since then, the partnership has been expanded to other areas, including pedelecs and trikes. Thegroup plans to continue working closely with Aachen University in the future.
Founded in 2010, StreetScooter GmbH started out as a consortium of approximately 80 industrialcompanies in the automotive industry and related sectors. Based in Aachen, it employs 70 staff.Since 2013, about 200 StreetScooters have been produced at the former Talbot/Bombardier plant inAachen per year.
The first prototype of the StreetScooter for Deutsche Post was unveiled in 2012, with the firstpre-series vehicles having been put into service in 2013. Around 20 vehicles are already part ofthe electric delivery fleet within the pilot project “CO2-free deliveries in Bonn”. As part of thisproject, Deutsche Post DHL is converting its entire mail and parcel operations in Bonn, where thecompany is headquartered, to electric mobility by 2016.
A further 50 StreetScooters are currently used by various Deutsche Post sites across Germany. By2015, approximately 100 StreetScooters are planned to be deployed in Deutsche Post DHL’soperations.
Deutsche Post DHL said it has piloted many projects with alternative drive systems, includinghybrid engines, electric vehicles and both natural gas and biogas vehicles, and tested dual-fueland aerodynamic modifications. It has concluded that electric vehicles are especially suited fordriving in stop-and-go traffic and emit nearly no air or noise pollution, which makes themextremely environmentally friendly.
“Using alternative drive systems significantly lowers CO2 emissions in road traffic,” DeutschePost DHL said. More than 11,800 vehicles with alternative drive systems, fuels and aerodynamicmodifications are currently deployed in the group’s fleet, including more than 300 electricvehicles. This approach is part of the company’s GoGreen environmental programme, as part of whichit intends to improve its CO2 efficiency by 30% in 2020 compared to 2007.
