Deutsche Post/ DHL’s EV building outlet StreetScooter is to sign a contract with Yamato, a major Japanese logistics company worth around 32 million euros. The two companies will develop a small electric van together and will bring the first 500 units into the greater Tokyo area by autumn.
Progressed negotiations that have now been concluded. StreetScooter is responsible for the production of the electric van while Yamato will be responsible for the refrigerated transport box. However, the truck bed will be waist high so that workers can load and unload cargo without having to enter the refrigerator-freezer compartment. 100 charge points are planned as well, as is further expansion.
So the 500 vehicles are by no means the end of the story. The cooperation could be further expanded in the future as Yamato plans to aggressively convert its fleet of around 40,000 vehicles to electric drives. According to the Japanese business paper, Yamato would be the first large logistics company in Japan to rely on electric drives on a large scale.