DHL (owned by Germany’s Deutche Post) has announced that following a successful initial pilot program with nine Lightning Electric Ford Transit 350HD electric vans deployed in the States the company is ordering many more of those from Lightning eMotors.
The hope is to deploy 89 more (98 total) in New York City and California by the end of this 2021. Along with van conversions, DHL Express is purchasing from Lightning eMotors also the DC charging inventory. According to the official press release, the converted Ford vans are “capable of achieving 61 MPGe, compared to 13 MPG for similar gas-powered vans” and the vehicles also have proprietary technology. Their proprietary analytics software is most useful for fleets like DHL.
The Deutsche Post DHL Group announced an ambitious 10-year, €7 billion investment proposal, which includes deployment of up to 80,000 “zero-emission e-vehicle fleet” by 2030, resulting in 60% electrification of the fleet, according to a press release from the firm.
As consumers move more to e-commerce, this has been a boon for firms like DHL, who will need to upgrade and expand their fleets.
