Support NeoGAF

[Oersted]

When Deutsche Post AG couldn’t find a zero-emission delivery van that met its needs, it bought a startup and developed one. Now Europe’s largest postal service may start selling those vehicles — dubbed StreetScooters — to others, showing the potential for disruption in the rapidly changing auto market.

For now, Deutsche Post is in an enviable position, saying it breaks even on the venture after just 2,500 units. That stands in contrast to carmakers from Tesla Inc. to General Motors Co., which lose money on electric cars despite government incentives.

The mail company plans to churn out 10,000 e-vans annually starting this year, which would make the StreetScooter the No. 1 electrified light commercial vehicle in Europe, overtaking Renault’s Kangoo, according to Ian Fletcher, an analyst at research company IHS Markit. The company can boost output to 15,000.

Talks with potential customers from “numerous industries” in Germany and abroad are underway, with one client looking to buy a “very, very large number” of StreetScooters, said management board member Juergen Gerdes. Deutsche Post will provide more details by early May, but early indications are the company has plans beyond mail delivery.

The mail company plans to electrify its global fleet of 92,000 vans and has already started switching away from diesel. It will roughly double its German StreetScooter fleet to about 4,000 by year end, Gerdes said. As battery capabilities improve, the postal company wants to deploy the van in rural areas as well. It can travel some 50 miles on a charge, about half that of a Renault Kangoo van.

When purchasing and operating costs are taken into account, Deutsche Post has come out ahead on the StreetScooters, said Chief Executive Officer Frank Appel. Overall, maintenance costs for e-vehicles are about 35 percent less than for cars with internal-combustion engines, the German IFA automotive industry institute estimated.

More here

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...any-s-post-office-is-building-an-electric-car

Lock if old

 

[Gallbaro]

When Deutsche Post AG couldn’t find a German made zero-emission delivery van that met its needs, it bought a startup and developed one.

FTFY

 

[saelz8]

Nvmind

 

[Herr Schwarz]

Man the only thing Germans don't win is war.

Great idea hopefully they can scale up when better batteries arrive.

 

[Eggiem]

Vollgas!

 

[bionic77]

Man the only thing Germans don't win is war when they take on the entire world by themselves.

Great idea hopefully they can scale up when better batteries arrive.

Fixed.

Cool story.

 

[Sölf]

#HoheEnergie

Well, sort of.

That's pretty cool though. I really hope electric cars gets further devlopment in the future. It's about time we finally switch from fossil fuels to something else.

 

[Dingens]

it's kinda funny this news came up today. Only recently did I learn that some European postal services actually used electric delivery vans up until the late 70s. Kinda strange that they completely went away for almost 40 years