Amazon has launched its first “micromobility center” in the UK with the aim of exchanging “thousands” of polluting delivery trucks for electric cargo bikes and, in some cases, walking. The project aims to help Amazon meet its climate goals so that 50 percent of its deliveries are carbon neutral by 2030.
Starting in London’s Hackney district, the company says it will deliver 1 million packages a year with walking and electric charging bikes, in addition to deliveries that are made with electric vans. Delivery workers on foot and with electric bicycles will help move “thousands” of traditional van trips, Amazon said.
Electric bicycles will help move “thousands” of traditional trips by van
Carbon-neutral travel will take place within a tenth of London’s ultra-low-emission zone, in which vehicles are charged a fee based on the amount of emissions they produce. Electric bicycles and electric vehicles are exempt from the charge.
Amazon said it plans to open additional centers in the coming months. The company already operates 1,000 electric delivery vans in the UK and plans to introduce a new line of vans manufactured by Rivian in the United States later this year (depending on Rivian’s ability to fill those orders).
Electric cargo bikes, especially those designed to look like mini-trucks, have become increasingly popular among delivery companies looking to bolster their environmental credentials. FedEx also uses electric bikes in London (which charge emissions!), While Domino’s partnered with Rad Power Bikes to deliver pizza to a couple of cities. UPS is used to load bicycles in Seattle. The German delivery company DPD wants to use these mini-trucks which are actually disguised electric bikes. In New York City, electric bicycles are used almost exclusively by food delivery workers.
Amazon didn’t post any details about what they call their “electronic assisted vehicles,” although they appear to be very different from most traditional cargo bikes out there. In any case, they resemble the mini-trucks first proposed by DPD, which were designed by a startup called Eav, or the four-wheeled “eQuad” delivery vehicles used by UPS.
But we have yet to see a scale-up deployment of electric charging bikes by any delivery company. If Amazon adheres to and fulfills its promise, the company’s micromobility efforts in the UK could be the first.