Dusseldorf (dpa) – The German postal service, Deutsche Post, plans to build its own electric delivery vans, dubbed the Streetscooter, with the first models expected to roll off production lines this year, the company said Saturday.

The first 2,000 vehicles are due to be manufactured in 2016, with the company gradually replacing its fleet of 30,000 delivery vans with the Streetscooter, Deutsche Post said, confirming an earlier report in Germany‘s Focus news magazine.

Streetscooter was founded as a start-up in 2010 as an offshoot from RWTH University in the border city of Aachen.

Deutsche Post took over the company a year and a half ago with the intention of using its know-how to build vehicles for postal deliverers.

Source: German postal service to build its own electric delivery vans | EUROPE ONLINE