This is an interesting one. As more businesses and regular folk order and purchase items online, receiving your purchases has become a more important aspect of our daily lives. UPS, working in conjunction with Fernhay, are testing Fernhay's eQuad (and eWalker) electric vehicles as a solution for "last-mile" deliveries. Last-mile deliveries are those that take place from the warehouse or store to a home or business. In congested and dense urban areas, delivery vans don't often fit (easily) and their ICE engines reduce air quality and are, in some places, banned from entry. Fernhay's eQuad EVs are one solution. The eQuad is only 33 inches wide and can be used in urban bike lanes. The eQuad can travel about 40 miles on each charge and top speed is limited to 15 mph. Each eQuad can carry over 450 pounds. Parcels can be picked up at warehouses, stores, and using Fernhay's EcoDelivery Hub Cube system (below) for eventual delivery. The eQuads have been proven in Europe where space to maneuver can be very tight and the video after the "read more" jump is from the City of Dublin extolling the virtues and uses of eQuads (and eWalkers). If you live in a large city, you could be seeing these little EVs downtown real soon.
Source: Fernhay/UPS - Media release, pics, and City of Dublin video
Media Release:
New UPS e-bikes are turning heads in the UK
What’s new: With a fleet of electric-assist eQuad bikes taking to the streets in London, UPS is pilot testing new ways to serve customers while reducing carbon footprint and traffic congestion.
The big picture: These four-wheeled electric-assist cycles developed by Fernhay allow the operator to use cycle lanes and easily move through narrow streets and dual-use pedestrian zones. They’re the latest leap forward in UPS’s use of innovative solutions and advanced technology to operate more sustainably.
Why it’s needed: Last-mile deliveries via cycle support a more sustainable way to deliver in dense urban environments and navigate zero-emission zones.
“The bikes are a great way to beat traffic in urban areas and to deliver to addresses that are harder to reach by a traditional package car,’’ said George Dann, a UPS e-cycle operator in London. “People stop me on the street to ask questions. They’re a real hit when I’m on the road.”
The eQuad at a glance:
- 84 centimetres (33 inches) wide, 3 metres (9.8 feet) in length
- Capacity of 210 kilograms (462 pounds) in a lock-secured container
- Can travel 60 kilometres (37 miles) on a single charge from a standard plug
Going global: See the eQuads and other sustainable solutions in action at the world expo in Dubai. More than 30 e-cycle projects of different sizes have now been implemented across Europe, including sites in Dublin, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, as well as in cities across Germany like Heidelberg, Mannheim and Hamburg.
Release 2:
EUROPE-PROVEN.“LAST-MILE” PARCEL DELIVERY SYSTEM IS COMING TO NYC USING WATERFRONT “BLUE HIGHWAY” SYSTEM FERNHAY CUBES
It’s part of a push by NYC Department of Transportation and Economic Development Corporation to reduce “last mile” truck traffic in Manhattan, which has been clogging streets to satisfy customers’ ever-rising desire to buy products online. More than 1.5 million packages are delivered every day in New York City. Delivery trucks contribute to curbside congestion every day by double parking, blocking bus and bike lanes and making streets less safe for New Yorkers.
Without any intervention, the number of delivery vehicles in the top 100 cities globally will increase by 36% until 2030, according to a World Economic Forum report.
In alignment with NYC DOT and the EDC, as part of this vision, Fernhay is launching this innovative solution that is currently in operation in Europe. Parcels will be loaded onto ferries outside of the city and delivered to landings around the New York City’s
waterfront. Instead of using polluting trucks, these parcels are then delivered to customers using zero emissions cycling and walking equipment manufactured by Fernhay.
The plan reduces truck traffic coming into the city by using the coastlines and multiple landings that reduce congestion by reducing the number of full-size delivery trucks on New York City Streets.
Fernhay’s innovative eFleet includes the eQuad which is an electric assist cycle, and the eWalker which is an electric assist hand cart. Both are designed to easily carry and exchange Cubes which are standardized containers each holding 400 pounds of parcels (or about 8 bags of cement) in 73 cubic feet of space. The eFleet has been developed in partnership with UPS, and is now in use in cities including Dublin, Dortmund and Dubai.
Robin Haycock, co-founder of Fernhay, said: “Innovation is at the heart of what we do, and adding our eFleet parcel delivery system to the Blue Highway will be another incredible step along our innovation journey.”
Chairman, Saker Aviation Services, Bill Wachtel said: “Right now almost 100% of the freight in New York City is delivered by road, leading to congestion. 90% of all bulk freight enters the city through the Lincoln Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge creating the number one bottleneck in America. It creates significant scheduling, risk and air quality issues. Reopening the Blue Highway gives a unique opportunity for New York City to be a leader in last-mile delivery efficiency.”
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