We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • SUBMISSIONS
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • Upload your video
  • BLOGS & MORE
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • SCQ Forum
      • Reflections
    • Mobile Apps
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
  • STRATEGY
  • GLOBAL
  • LOGISTICS
  • MANUFACTURING
  • PROCUREMENT
  • VIDEO
    • News & Exclusives
    • Viewer Contributed
    • Upload your video
  • BLOGS & MORE
    • White Papers
    • Webcasts
    • Events
    • Blogs
      • SCQ Forum
      • Reflections
    • Mobile Apps
Home » UPS tests electric bikes for urban deliveries
Forward Thinking

UPS tests electric bikes for urban deliveries

October 28, 2015
Supply Chain Quarterly Staff
No Comments

When they consider the best ways to deliver large parcels on narrow streets, logistics and transportation companies have limited options. Big trucks can't fit around corners or squeeze through narrow lanes, while couriers on foot have a limited range.

UPS thinks it has found a perfect compromise. The company is now expanding a pilot program that uses bicycles boosted by electric motors to navigate the winding lanes of Europe's congested cities.

The transportation and logistics giant has begun testing battery-aided cargo bikes for package delivery in downtown Basel, Switzerland, after achieving success with a similar program in Hamburg, Germany.

The vehicles, which have a load capacity of two cubic yards and a cargo weight limit of 330 pounds, measure just three feet wide—ideal for handling the heavy traffic and tight turns demanded for city-center delivery.

To help its drivers balance the weight, UPS added a third wheel on the rear axle. When empty, the cargo tricycles weigh just 250 pounds, including the 250-watt battery.

If the concept catches on, the program could have both economic and ecological benefits, such as reducing inner-city congestion, noise, and carbon dioxide emissions. The new delivery vehicles also have the potential to streamline UPS's urban delivery operations by trimming the time spent searching for parking spots, the company said.

  • Related Articles

    Pitney Bowes hikes prices for peak season deliveries and returns

    Dutch investors found $295 million center for research in urban logistics

    Outlook calls for strong demand for urban logistics, last-mile fulfillment

Recent Articles by Supply Chain Quarterly Staff

Report: Global TMS revenues to nearly double by 2025

IBM survey says digitalization trends will sweep trucking industry by 2030

Report tracks rise in cargo theft from storage facilities

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • The 3PL industry: time to reset

  • Resiliency starts with supplier mapping

  • Freight market growth expected to slow in 2021

  • COVID-19 and the health care supply chain: impacts and lessons learned

  • Retailers designing stores to support inventory and logistics work, not just shopping

Featured Video

6cabd6ef 64df 4460 bb11 e90c2bdea0a5

Identifying Intralogistics Solutions to Fit Your Operation: LinkedIn Live Ep. 4

Viewer Contributed
As technology evolves, the advantages of using semi- and fully automated solutions to increase productivity and address labor shortages are clear. However, before an organization jumps fully into automation, optimization is a key step that must happen first. Intralogistics solutions, such as Raymond’s iWAREHOUSE and...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Using innovation to manage peak seasonal demand

  • Warehouse Management System Project Toolkit

  • Solving Talent Management Challenges Now and In the Future

  • Shaping Up Last Mile Delivery to Surpass Customer Expectations

View More

Subscribe to Supply Chain Quarterly

Get Your Subscription
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • E-NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing