The boom in online shopping — with the ability to order products with just a few mouse clicks and have them delivered to your door the same day — is said to be stretching delivery traffic in major cities to its limits, resulting in blocked roads, noise and problems with emissions.

Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, said: “To keep pace with goods supply in cities, there’s no avoiding a rethink of delivery traffic.”

The company says this is one objective it is looking to fulfill with its new electric powertrain for light commercial vehicles; the first to be using this powertrain will be launched in 2019.

Deutsche Post has already initiated change in urban deliveries with its StreetScooter, which uses a Bosch drive system.

The company says it is going a step further by launching an electrical powertrain suitable for the vast majority of delivery vehicles, adding that the idea behind its ‘electromobility’ campaign is for electric vans to handle ‘last mile’ deliveries from distribution centres to recipients.

“The kind of stop-and-go traffic this entails is one area in which electric vehicles are particularly efficient, because they can recover the energy from constant braking, which increases their range.

“Most delivery routes amount to less than 80km a day — a distance easily covered on a single battery charge; fleets can then be recharged overnight at the depot.

“Any driving bans in city centres would not affect electric fleets, since their powertrains cause zero local emissions.”

With its new eCityTruck powertrain concept, Bosch has taken multiple components such as an electric motor and power electronics and combined them into one unit, making the powertrain not only far more efficient but also cost-effective.

Mr Heyn said: “Bosch’s electrical powertrain for commercial vehicles has the potential to change the face of urban delivery traffic. We’re getting electric vans ready for the mass market.”