UPS has launched an eBike to reduce congestion and emissions in Pittsburgh as part of its Cycle Solutions and Rolling Laboratory, which tests alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles.
“Working with cities like Pittsburgh to provide them with a delivery solution that helps reduce congestion and emissions and improve air and noise quality is the latest example of how to meet the needs of today’s cities,” said Barb Jaram, UPS Mid Atlantic District president. “We have many vehicle options when it comes to reducing our impact on the environment including our cycle solutions that provide greater mobility and fewer emissions.”
The success of the eBike was first demonstrated in 2012 in Hamburg, Germany, where UPS focused on developing a new and sustainable method of delivering goods to urban areas. UPS placed four containers at central locations in the city for interim storage of packages for UPS drivers. From these points, deliveries were made on foot or with specialized electronically-assisted cargo tricycles that ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions each working day.
The eBike is equipped with battery-powered electric motors that makes it possible to cover longer distances than traditional bikes, carry substantial loads and navigate hills and other terrain. Maximum energy efficiency is achieved when combining battery power and human power simultaneously although the bike can also be used with either method solely. UPS will evaluate the reliability, design, integration to the city’s infrastructure and acceptance of the vehicle.
UPS has numerous cycle solutions with inner-city delivery projects with delivery on foot and by bike in Frankfurt, Offenbach, Hamburg, Munich, Oldenburg and Herne, Germany, as well as in Leuven and Mechelen, Belgium; Rome and Verona, Italy; Toulouse, France; and Dublin, Ireland.
Using its “Rolling Laboratory” approach, UPS deploys more than 8,500 low-emission vehicles to determine what works best in each situation.
Image credit: UPS
