DPD Germany has expanded its green delivery fleet in the cities of Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg with the addition of eight new electric transport bikes.
The e-bikes will complement DPD’s existing electric vans including the Mercedes-Benz Vito E-Cell, the Renault Master ZE, and two pre-series models of the Volkswagen (VW) e-Crafter, which DPD is subjecting to long-term testing in the area.
DPD’s next step will be to develop more centrally located parcel distribution facilities, referred to as micro-depots, which help support efficient inner-city delivery operations.
Thomas Ohnhaus, chief operating officer at DPD Germany, said, “Stuttgart is a representative example of challenges such as pollution from particulates, driving prohibitions and access restrictions in the inner city. The testing of alternative delivery concepts enables us to make sure that in future, too, we will be able to fulfil our role as a supplier of essential delivery services to residents and retailers in an optimal way.
“For this purpose, close cooperation between municipalities and parcel services is an even more essential prerequisite than it was in the past. A prime example of this is the search for suitable locations where we can establish the kind of inner-city micro depots that enable locally emissions-free parcel deliveries in the first place.”
At the micro-depots, the transport bikes can be loaded with parcels several times a day, and the batteries of the bikes are then charged after the delivery rounds have been completed.
Because of a lack of suitable premises DPD has so far not been able to set up a permanent micro-depot in the inner-city area of Stuttgart. As a result, a number of transport bikes are still waiting on the relevant parcel distribution center in Ludwigsburg to go into operation, which will serve the districts of Stuttgart-East, Bad-Cannstatt and Heslach.
In addition to the four transport bikes in Stuttgart, four more bikes will soon go into operation in Ludwigsburg (Oßweil and Eglosheim districts) as well as in the neighboring municipalities of Tamm and Asperg.