(Photo Credit: DHL)DHL Express plans to pilot four electric-assist e-Cargo Cycles for deliveries in Miami. The international shipping services company said that using the lower-power cargo bikes should cut 101,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
For the pilot, DHL says it’s using three-wheeled cycles equipped with cargo containers capable of pulling as much as 400 pounds or 60 cubic feet in volume. Each bike takes a conventional delivery van off the road, which means a reduction in road traffic, noise, and pollution, according to the company. DHL’s short-term goal is to implement “clean pickup and delivery solutions for 70% of its operations by 2025.”
In Miami, DHL is collaborating with locally-based Reef Technology, North America’s largest operator of parking, mobility, and logistics hubs. Reef will manage the hubs DHL uses for the e-Cargo Cycles, according to the project partners. Formerly known as ParkJockey, Reef is trying to reduce congestion by rethinking how parking spaces work, the Miami Herald reported last year. Reef says that it transforms parking facilities into ecosystems that connect people with goods and services.
Here’s how the pilot works, according to the partners. A DHL straight truck that has a custom trailer will carry as many as nine cargo containers for the bikes. These containers go to the Reef hub, where they are quickly connected to the bikes for last-mile morning deliveries. After that, the containers can be reloaded for outbound shipments during the afternoon, DHL and Reef said.
The partners hope to help solve the problem of last-block delivery in Miami. DHL Express US CEO Greg Hewitt said that the new vehicles support the company’s emissions-reduction efforts. They significantly reduce the challenges associated with urban business deliveries by improving safety, productivity, and costs, he added.
Currently DHL is participating in a pilot program along with UPS and Amazon to test 100 commercial cargo bikes in Manhattan. The shipping company already uses the bikes in several European cities.
