Odin Automotive purchased the manufacturing rights to StreetScooter from Deutsche Post in February. Now it says it will partner with GoFor, a delivery service that specializes in same day deliveries of large items, to bring StreetScooter electric vehicles to North America.
The partnership provides GoFor with a turnkey solution for electric deliveries and secures preferential access to Odin’s StreetScooter production capacity. For Odin, the agreement provides a binding right of first refusal to provide certain electric vehicles for GoFor’s delivery service, starting with up to 3,266 vehicles planned by the end of 2023. Odin began production of StreetScooter vehicles in February.
The collaboration with Odin makes GoFor one of the first eFleet-As-A-Service providers in North America, according to Electrive. The company’s network reportedly consists of more than 10,000 independent drivers as well as GoFor franchise fleet owners. GoFor says it chose Odin Automotive as its preferred vehicle partner “because of the range’s proven track record of more than 20,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road over the past seven years and because of the company’s comprehensive range of electrification services.”
“This partnership brings together two pioneers in sustainable last mile delivery who both understand that the world can’t continue down the same path, rushing to deliver ever faster, no matter the consequence to communities or the environment,” explains Ian Gardner, CEO of GoFor. “This union is key to living up to our Renewable Delivery commitment to deliver better through carbon-negative solutions and fast, reliable, low cost delivery.”
Who Is Odin Automotive?
If you have never heard of Odin Automotive, you’re not alone. The company was formed last September and its principal shareholder is Stefan Krause, a former BMW manager and board member at Faraday Future and Canoo. But the money for the purchase is coming not from Krause but from “the Singapore-based financial expert Djamal Attamimi from the Indonesian coal mining group Toba Bara and the manager and entrepreneur Matthew Paul Richards from the Indonesian telecommunications company Trikomsel Oke,” according to a separate Electrive report.
Deutsche Post purchased the StreetScooter business from a startup based in Aachen, Germany, in 2014 as part of its quest to find ways to cut the carbon footprint of its delivery operations. The first vehicles were built using off the shelf components and inexpensive body work to save money. But after several years of experiencing reliability issues with its the vehicles, Deutsche Post decided it wanted to be in the delivery business, not the automotive business, and began looking for a buyer. When none were found, it was decided to cease manufacturing at the end of 2021. The Odin Automotive purchase came just in the nick of time.
Who Is GoFor?
GoFor is hardly any better known than Odin. It purports to have 10,000 delivery drivers who operate much like Uber, Lyft, or DoorDash drivers. They undertake to make deliveries for GoFor after the company notifies them of the cargo and the delivery address. “With GoFor, you can build a business you’re proud of — one that’s positive for your finances and our environment,” the company says on its website.
GoFor leverages its zero emissions procedures to attract customers. “In today’s competitive market, your customers expect fast delivery. But in our rush, it’s easy to overlook the environmental impact. At GoFor, we deliver differently: simple, seamless, and sustainable, to make our cities more livable. Our business model is based on taking carbon out of the air we breathe, not adding it. This is where getting negative is a positive.”
The Takeaway
Some may have doubts whether a manager who has been associated with two floundering EV startups will make Odin Automotive into a viable business. But we welcome more zero emissions delivery services and wish the company well in its quest to expand carbon-free last mile delivery services in the US and Canada.
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