The test vehicle currently on the streets of Cologne is a conventional 7.5-tonne delivery vehicle that has been retrofitted with a twin-engine, electronically driven rear axle. It has a range of around 100 kilometers. The technology comes from BPW. The two motors and the transmission are integrated directly into the rear axle. Power is provided by an 84 kilowatt-hour battery. This is enough to supply a household of four people with electricity for a week1. The combination of independent drives on each rear wheel and the power of the motors increases the vehicle's maneuverability. On slippery roads, for example, each wheel receives the optimum torque for the required acceleration force.

"The electric axle drive is the superior solution for the future of urban transportation. Without losing payload, it significantly reduces pollution and noise compared to a conventional combustion engine. With a powerful 3,290 Newton meters per wheel, our e-transport drive technology has almost ten times the torque of an average four-cylinder combustion engine, so it can handle high payloads and the steep gradients typical of urban transport," says Markus Schell, Managing Partner of BPW. "We are delighted that UPS, one of the world's largest courier, express and parcel logistics companies, is testing our drive system for the first time and on a large scale."

UPS has been using electric vehicles for parcel delivery in Germany since 2008. As there are currently no purely electric 7.5-ton vehicles on the market, UPS began converting conventional diesel vehicles in 2010. There are currently more than 80 all-electric vehicles in use in Germany, mainly those in the 7.5-ton class. To support its emissions reduction targets, UPS has set itself the goal of sourcing 40 percent of its fuel from low-carbon or alternative fuels by 2025. In addition, by 2020, 25 percent of new vehicle purchases annually will be alternative fuel or advanced technology vehicles.

"The collaboration between UPS and BPW is helping to drive innovation across the automotive industry, providing sustainable transportation that serves as a real-world laboratory for change," said Luke Wake, Automotive Director, UPS International. "UPS has a global network that can integrate and test breakthrough innovations from suppliers and manufacturers of vehicle components. This is driving progress in the automotive market that can accelerate sustainable and low-emission solutions that are already working very well today and can be even better in the future."

"Small and medium-sized German companies are highly innovative and create products and services that help us as a company to become better - or in this case more efficient - for our customers," says Thomas Zeller, Marketing Director UPS Germany. "UPS is a great supporter of small and medium-sized businesses. We help companies to test their products worldwide and bring them to market reliably."

With its "rolling labs" approach, UPS is deploying around 10,000 low-emission vehicles worldwide to determine which alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles work best on different routes and duty cycles. These include all-electric, hybrid-electric, hydraulic hybrid drives, as well as ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and propane fuels.