this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
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Speaking of DHL from 2014 to 2022 they were an automotive producer, building these things. They were making a loss on the whole operation and tried to halt production in 2020 but they needed so many trucks that they went on to produce regardless, 2022 the whole thing was sold off to a Luxembourgian consortium now calling themselves B-ON still producing street scooters.
That, btw, is what an actual last-mile truck looks like: It's a minivan. At least if you're a parcel delivery service. They should operate from depots, swarming out, making their tour of direct deliveries and returning on the same day, and those depots should not be serviced by trucks, but trains. Supermarkets can use full-size trucks for that purpose, easily shipping multiple pallets to a limited number of locations, but mostly when you're looking at electric full-sized trucks the reason they exist is shoddy rail infrastructure.
Oh and older, used/refurbished, DHL streetscooters sell like hotcakes. It's not easy to get that kind of vehicle as a small business so they sell at a premium, which makes it attractive to DHL to sell and buy a new one vs. continuing to maintain an old one. They're ridiculously utilitarian: Huge loading volume with very low loading floor with actual right angles, cargo accessible from back and side... and only one seat (but with room to install a second), utterly reliable.
If you're a farmer delivering fresh cabbage directly to local greengrocers, or a baker driving things from the actual bakery to your 3-10 outlets this is just a perfect vehicle.
Dhl in Sweden(and elsewhere) also uses these electric bikes
https://www.velove.se/news/city-containers-new-pilot-dhl-express-frankfurt-utrecht