UPS tries out 'eQuad' electric bikes for urban deliveries

Xos

01/04/2022 06:00

By Nick Carey
    LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - UPS  UPS.N  said on Friday it
was trying out a four-wheeled "eQuad" electric cargo bike for
deliveries in densely packed urban areas, where bikes have
better and easier access, to complement its push into electric
vehicles. 
    The package-delivery giant is trialing around 100 of the
bikes, designed and built by British firm Fernhay, in seven
European markets and will also launch trials in the United
States and some Asian markets, Luke Wake, UPS vice president of
fleet maintenance and engineering, told Reuters. 
    As well as making public commitments to cut their carbon
footprints, package-delivery companies are seeking new ways to
cut the cost of last-mile deliveries amid soaring e-commerce
orders.
    UPS' eQuad has an electric-assisted top speed of around 25
kilometers (15.5 miles) - if you pedal hard you can go faster -
and can haul up to 200 kilograms (441 lb) of packages. Its
electric battery has a range of around 40 miles (64 km), which
Wake said would be more than adequate for urban routes.
    The vehicle is only 36 inches (91 cm) wide, so can legally
use bike lanes and enter pedestrian zones that UPS' vans and
trucks cannot access. Under normal circumstances, drivers would
have to get out of their vehicles, load packages on carts and
haul them to customers.
    UPS' Wake said the Atlanta-based company sees an opportunity
to scale up the use of the bikes in "megacities" and complement
its range of vans and trucks.
    "There are more and more opportunities for zero-emission
solutions like this that can alleviate inner-city congestion,"
Wake said while demonstrating the eQuad at a UPS package
facility in London. "It can also help our operations be more
efficient at the same time."
    Rivals FedEx  FDX.N  and Deutsche Post  DPWGn.DE  unit DHL
are also experimenting with electric cargo bikes as part of
their own zero-emission vehicle plans.
    UPS is also working with electric van makers like UK
startups Arrival  ARVL.O  and Tevva, plus U.S. truck maker Xos
 XOS.O .  
    
    

 (Reporting By Nick Carey;
Editing by Bernadette Baum)
 ((nick.carey@thomsonreuters.com; +44 7385 414 954;))