DHL is using electric cargo delivery bikes in place of its CO2 emitting vans as part of a test in Germany and the Netherlands.
Each bike is capable of towing 125 kg worth of packages, eliminating the need for a standard delivery vehicle to be on the roads. The bikes pick up their packages from a central “City Hub” trailer, and venture into the inner-cities from there.
A DHL van delivers the trailer into the city center, where the containers can be quickly loaded on to two Cubicyles for last-mile inner-city delivery. It can then be reloaded for outbound shipments. The solution significantly reduces emissions by minimizing the mileage and time spent on the road by standard delivery vehicles.
The bikes are able to manoeuvre traffic jams, allowing drivers to deliver packages faster and more efficiently – the bikes can make twice as many stops per hour as a traditional delivery vehicle in the inner-city.
And best of all, it’s all done emissions-free.
