DHL Freight is deploying the first SuperPanther eTopas 600 produced in Europe in its Dutch network.
Following extensive real-world trials, the battery-electric heavy-duty truck has been in regular commercial operation since September 2026.
It handles domestic transport within the Netherlands as well as cross-border services to Belgium. This marks the eTopas 600’s transition from testing to regular transport operations at DHL Freight.
The electric truck offers a range of up to 500 kilometers per battery charge, making it particularly suitable for medium-haul transport. It is deployed flexibly on different routes and is not tied to a fixed shuttle service or a single terminal.
The vehicle covers around 2,000 kilometers per week. Its deployment is providing DHL Freight with practical insights into how battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles can be integrated into existing network structures and cross-border transport operations.
Electric truck in day-to-day operations
“Our experience from daily operations has been positive so far. The vehicle meets the requirements of the planned deployment profiles and achieves high productivity within the network. Feedback from drivers has also been very positive, and we are seeing clear interest from customers in transport solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions”, says Arjan van Weelden, Carrier & Sustainability Manager at DHL Freight.
“What matters to us is that the vehicle can be integrated reliably and flexibly into day-to-day operations. We also share the insights gained with the manufacturer, helping to support the practical development of future vehicle generations.”
“Our customers are looking for practical ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their transport operations”, says Heidi van Eldik, CEO DHL Freight Netherlands & Belgium. “That is why it is not enough for the technology simply to be available; it must also prove itself in day-to-day commercial operations. With the SuperPanther eTopas 600, we are demonstrating how a battery-electric heavy-duty truck can be deployed flexibly across a transport network. The experience gained from regular operations will provide an important basis for integrating solutions of this kind more broadly into our transport networks in the future. Building on this experience, we plan to add around 40 electric trucks to our fleet over the coming months.”
From real-world trial to daily customer operations
The commercial deployment is the result of a collaboration between DHL Freight and SuperPanther that has been expanded step by step. Following an initial memorandum of understanding in September 2024, the eTopas 600 was tested by DHL Freight in Austria under real-world operating conditions.
During a two-week trial in spring 2026, the vehicle covered around 1,900 kilometers. In July 2026, the first eTopas 600 produced in Europe by the Chinese manufac turer rolled off the production line for DHL Freight; the vehicle has been in regular operation in the Dutch network since September.
At IAA Transportation in Hanover, DHL Group and SuperPanther also signed an MoU on autonomous driving. The aim is to test under real-world operating conditions how autonomous driving can be advanced more quickly and put into practice.
Decarbonization in day-to-day operations
The collaboration therefore brings together vehicle development and operational deployment. Data and experience gathered during day-to-day network operations are intended to support the further development of deployment profiles for battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles and help assess their operational and economic viability under real-world conditions. For DHL Freight, this is another step towards systematically expanding the commercial use of battery-electric vehicles in road freight transport.
DHL Freight currently operates around 1,700 emissions-reduced vehicles and is testing a range of vehicle types and powertrain technologies. The deployment of the SuperPanther eTopas 600 is part of this approach and supports DHL Group’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions in logistics by 2050.
(DHL)
