The German logistics provider Dachser plans to expand their emission-free delivery areas to at least ten more major European cities by 2025.

Currently, the company already has delivery hubs with electric vehicles going to several major European cities, including Berlin, Freiburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Dortmund, Copenhagen, Oslo, Prague, Strasbourg, Paris, Madrid and Porto. Next, Dachser wants to expand that list by at least ten more major European cities by 2025.

In May 2021, Dachser announced that it would deliver zero-emission goods in eleven EU cities by the end of 2022.

According to the current announcement, there will be 22 cities by 2024 – which, after twelve cities in less than 20 months, would be a slower pace of expansion than before. But: this was a pilot project. “With Dachser Emission-Free Delivery, we have proven that we can deliver the last mile with emission-free groupage,” says Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer (CDO). “The research project has made the step into practice and points the way towards more sustainable urban logistics.”

As it continues to expand beyond the research project, Dachser faces a challenge that is currently preoccupying many players in the market – the availability of suitable zero-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure. “Since vehicle manufacturers have now ramped up their production capacity, we expect electric trucks to be more readily available in the future,” says Alexander Tonn, Chief Operations Officer Road Logistics at Dachser. “That’s why we’re planning rollouts in at least ten more cities by 2025, in line with the wishes of many of our customers.”

Dachser did not specify which vehicles to use but refers to being well-prepared for any bans on combustion engines that major cities already have in place or are planning.

In Germany, the company ordered 50 eActros LongHaul electric trucks back in December, which had previously been affected by a limited availability. The first batch of electric trucks had been ordered only months earlier, in February.

The announcement also leaves open which cities will be next. Dachser says the main focus was on major European cities with populations of at least one million where the company’s European Logistics business line already has a branch.

The company first rolled out the Dachser Emission-Free Delivery concept for the city of Stuttgart, Germany. In 2018, it won an award for sustainable urban logistics from the German Ministry for the Environment and the German Environment Agency.

Dachser says the concept is “fundamentally suited to all European cities” thanks to its modularity. The company uses a mix of battery-electric vans and trucks as well as electrically assisted cargo bikes per local requirements.

dachser.com