German carmaker Daimler on Thursday delivered its first fully electric lorries to companies in Europe, as the global race to mass produce the first generation of "green trucks" heats up.

Among the first customers for Daimler's Fuso eCanter light-weight truck was express delivery service DHL, which said it would use its six vehicles to navigate Berlin's innercity traffic.

The keys to eight other eCanter trucks were handed over to German logistics and transport firms DB Schenker, Rhenus and Dachser.

"With the Fuso eCanter our customers now operate not only quietly and without locally emitted CO2, they also save money on operating costs," said Marc Llistosella, head of Daimler Trucks Asia.

"This is the future of urban distribution transport."

With a load-bearing capacity of 4.5 tons, the eCanter is equipped with six batteries and has a range of 100 kilometres (62 miles), the Mercedes Benz parent company said.