Around 1910, the Reichspost used 3-wheeled electric vehicles for carrying mailbags and express parcel deliveries for the first time. Electric vehicles were particularly beneficial for short distances and small transport loads. The tricycle, built by the "Berliner-Elektromobil-Fabrik" and known as "Bef," had 1.5 horsepower and reached a top speed of 11 miles per hour and a radius of 31 miles. In the 1920s, about 200 of these tricycles were in use at the Reichspost.