Deutsche Post DHL Group is selling the rights and know-how for the production of its electric light commercial vehicles, StreetScooter, to the international consortium ODIN Automotive.
The deal includes the intellectual property for the D17 and D20 vehicle models as well as the two wholly owned subsidiaries in Switzerland and Japan. In addition, DHL will become a minority shareholder in ODIN.
DHL group currently operates more than 17,000 of the EVs, which were developed specifically for last-mile mail and parcel delivery.
With the sale of StreetScooter Engineering, ODIN will become the official manufacturer of the EVs and will continue to produce both StreetScooter models, which offer 8m3 and 13m3 cargo space.
“The acquisition of StreetScooter from Deutsche Post marks a huge milestone for us—besides acquiring a proven and established OEM in the EV space, we are gaining over a decade of experience in electric fleet management that is unparalleled in the industry,” said Stefan Krause, ODIN chairman.
“This acquisition provides us with a huge head start over the rest of the sector on our mission to deliver a proven, holistic electrification solution for fleets.”
StreetScooter, including its existing 300 employees, will continue to act as a supplier of vehicle parts and batteries for the DHL’s planned fleet expansion to 21,500 StreetScooters. Following this StreetScooter will focus exclusively on servicing and maintaining the existing fleet.
The new venture is backed by several institutional and private global investment partners, including a major Chinese OEM, a partner for contract manufacturing in North America, and Sparta Capital Management, a London-based investment firm.
