Logistics provider DHL Group, commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck and commercial emission-free vehicle rental company Hylane signed a cooperation agreement in the field of fully electric trucks at the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich. The partnership provides for DHL to operate 30 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric trucks via Hylane’s “transport as a service model”.
The freshly signed agreement between Hylane, Daimler Truck and DHL means that DHL will not buy the vehicles, but Hylane will invoice DHL on the basis of actual kilometres driven. For Hylane, the addition of 30 eActros 600s to the fleet marks a targeted expansion of the existing portfolio, previously focused exclusively on fuel cell electric trucks.
Sara Schiffer, Managing Director of Hylane explained that the new agreement is an important milestone in the expansion of Hylane, “through which we are supporting our customers even more comprehensively in the decarbonization of their transports.”
Schiffer underlined that Hylane, which was founded in Cologne, Germany, in 2021, is going to be a provider open to all technologies that enable the emission-free operation of commercial vehicles. “We are consciously focusing on battery and hydrogen-powered trucks in order to offer the best solution depending on the intended use.
The Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 from Daimler Truck, which recently won the International Truck of the Year award, has been available for logistics operations since December 2024, boasting 600 kWh battery capacity and a range of around 500 kilometres. The German automotive giant says that intermediate charging during statutory breaks even makes over 1,000 kilometres per day possible.
The deal now begun with Hylane brings the German commercial vehicle rental company together with international heavyweights DHL and Mercedes-Benz Trucks. With a presence in over 220 countries and territories worldwide and 600,000 employees, DHL Group claims to be “the world’s leading logistics company.” Alone so far this year, DHL has announced it will open the UK’s largest EV battery service centre, that it is opening more electric vehicle centres in Asia, that it made electric vehicle deals with Kia, Daimler Truck brand Fuso, and with CATL for storage solutions for its logistics parks.
Schiffer acknowledges, “The fact that we are taking this step together with Daimler Truck as the leading vehicle manufacturer and DHL as the first user of the trucks is particularly valuable for us and a great start to the new business segment.”
The 30 heavy-duty long-haul electric trucks are to be delivered by the end of the second quarter of 2026 and will be used in the Post & Parcel Germany division between its parcel centres.
daimlertruck.com
