Norwegian postal and parcel logistics company Posten Norge and its sister logistics and parcels company Bring.com have placed an order with Electric Assisted Vehicles Limited (EAV) for its EAVan eCargo bike.
The EAVan has a capacity of 1m³ to 3m³ (35ft³ to 106ft³) and 120kg (265 lb) of weight operating under the current regulations for eBikes. EAV recognized that adaptation from the use of Light Commercial Vehicles or petrol and diesel vans to using eCargo bikes would require a culture-of-use change, so have engineered the EAVan ‘down’ from a van rather than ‘up’ from a bicycle.
“We wanted the EAVan to be as usable as possible by anyone,” said Adam Barmby, chief executive officer and founder of EAV. “Getting people out of vans and onto eCargo bikes isn’t easy if they think it’s going to be an awful experience. Being exposed to the elements or being low to traffic isn’t going to appeal to anyone and we’re all very used to being comfortable in a car or van. So, we started with the idea of the outer-body of a light commercial van and we added the electric pedal-assist propulsion system.”
John Eckhoff, head of public relations at Posten Norge, commented, “This kind of vehicle is a very good alternative for us to adapt to new regulations of traffic in urban areas. At the same time, we can also contribute to a better environment and reduced congestion. We will test the bikes in Nordic cities, to see how we can use them efficiently and serve our customers as good as possible. This is also important to improve the quality of the environment in inner-city areas and for us to reach our goal to only use CO2-free vehicles before the end of 2025.”
The bikes will be seen on the streets of Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen during this autumn.
Interested in technology to improve urban delivery? Make sure to catch the session ‘Urban delivery technology’ at the Parcel+Post Expo Conference this October.