German vehicle manufacturer Daimler (www.daimler.com) has delivered its first fully electric lorries to companies in Europe.

Among the first customers for its Fuso eCanter lightweight truck was express delivery service provider DHL, which said it would use its six vehicles to “navigate Berlin’s inner-city traffic”.

A further eight vehicles will be used by the logistics and transport firms DB Schenker, Rhenus and Dachser.

The eCanter has a load-carrying capacity of 4.5 tonnes, is equipped with six batteries and has a range of 100km (62 miles). Large-scale production is set to begin in 2019.

Models destined for European and US customers will be produced in Tramagal, Portugal.

In November last year, Tesla unveiled an all-electric ‘semi truck’ that it says is quicker and more economical than today’s diesel-powered trucks.

Depending on the model, this vehicle can travel up to 800km between charges. Production is set to start in 2019, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2020. It is reported that UPS has pre-ordered 125.