Yahoo Autos VW CEO "Annoyed Beyond Measure" As DHL Builds Its Own Electric Vans
While VW's electric van is still just a concept, DHL and Bosch have been building their own EV delivery vans for European roads for years now. This just shows you how long the car industry's reaction time is, due to decades-old processes which will increasingly become problematic in our high-tech future.
After looking at the market only to find nothing, DHL teamed up with Germany's RWTH Aachen University and automotive suppliers such as Bosch, Hella and US software giant PTC to create their own electric vans. Now, Reuters reports that Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller is wondering why DHL didn't try to collaborate with VW's Commercial division. Mueller says he would like to see "if VW can still get a foot in the door there."
Granted, VW's e-Crafter concept only has a range of 150 miles at the moment, but it's got tons of cargo space. However, while DHL's StreetScooter, shown above, only packs a 20.6 kWh lithium-ion pack for a range of 50 miles, that's pretty much all the delivery company needs for zero-emissions urban deliveries. With a payload of 1433 lbs. and a top speed of 50 mph, the job was done.
DHL operates a fleet of 92,000 vehicles worldwide, and while the standard StreetScooters will certainly hurt VW's Caddy van sales in the long run, the logistics company is upping the ante with a bigger version with 280 cubic feet of cargo space and a total capacity of 2200 lbs. These EVs are designed to last 16 years, being driven six days a week. They have low-maintenance drivetrains and doors designed to be opened and closed up to 200 times a day. DHL says it "designed them as a tool, so the fit and finish does not need to be as good as in a passenger car."
StreetScooters aside, DHL's current electric fleet also includes French Renaults, Italian Ivecos and German Mercedes vans, so at the end of the day, it's pretty obvious what bothers VW's Matthias Mueller the most.
H/T to Carscoops!
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