Japanese logistics provider Yamato Transport has ordered 500 light electric utility vehicles from StreetScooter, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group.

According to Yamato, the vehicles will help it address rapidly growing e-commerce demands and offer more environmentally friendly service. They will be made in Germany and delivered during the fiscal year 2019.

“While restructuring a sustainable last-mile delivery network for TA-Q-BIN, it has been a big challenge for us to develop new delivery vehicles with the consideration of our employees’ point of view,” said Yutaka Nagao [right in photo], representative director, president and executive officer of Yamato Transport. “This encounter with StreetScooter is truly exciting to us, and we’re looking forward to our first step towards a resolution through joint development.”

The vehicles ordered by Yamato are the Work Pure model, a variant which has no truck body. Truck bodies will be assembled and installed onto the chassis by the Japanese company Toprec, and will also be suitable for cold-chain applications. Maintenance and repair will be performed by Yamato Autoworks, which is responsible for the group’s delivery fleet and also functions as a fleet services provider for third parties.

“We’re truly thrilled that Yamato has chosen our electric vehicles,” said Achim Kampker [left in photo], CEO of StreetScooter. “It’s fresh validation that our vision of building customized, industry-specific vehicles is blossoming, this time on an international scale. The strategic cooperation with Yamato is thus an important step on the road to tapping the Japanese market for electric light utility vehicles.”

Yamato Transport transported some 1.8 billion items in the fiscal year 2018.