Hermes is testing the functionality and handling of two Loadster e-cargo bikes from Berlin manufacturer Citkar in Dresden and Leipzig, Germany, to enable Citkar to bring a cargo bike tailored to the CEP industry onto the market.
According to Citkar, the Loadster is equipped with the latest e-bike technology and various modular structures such as cool boxes, and an additional trailer can be added to meet all expectations of a future-oriented, environmentally friendly commercial vehicle.
“Especially in cities like Leipzig and Dresden with the high volume of traffic and the immense stopping density for our delivery staff, cargo bikes are simply a perfect addition to parcel delivery,” explained Martin Jugel, last-mile manager of the Leipzig Area at Hermes Germany.
The demands on a cargo bike for the CEP industry are diverse. For example, a high degree of flexibility is required to be able to deliver in narrow streets without problems, and they need to relieve the city traffic and develop new groups of employees. This is where the cooperation between Citkar and Hermes begins, according to Jonas Kremer, founder and CEO of Citkar. He added, “Due to the growing volume of deliveries, the transport of the last mile has to be completely rethought in order to develop futureproof, feasible and, above all, sustainable concepts.”
The two cargo bikes will be put to the test for four weeks each in the inner cities of Dresden and Leipzig. The findings will then be used to further develop the bike. “We have already worked with a number of cargo bike manufacturers to adapt the bikes even better to the CEP industry. And we just like the Citkar model very much. The advantages are obvious,” said Jugel.
With a payload of 200kg, the Loadster is said to be particularly suitable for parcel delivery. In test operations, up to 90 shipments per day can be delivered per cargo bike in Dresden’s old town. The cargo bikes deliver the parcels from a central delivery base. In the next few weeks of testing, the main focus will be on battery performance, robustness in road traffic and driving behavior.
“The first weeks of testing have shown that our riders are very satisfied with the bike and that the residents are also very positive about the alternative delivery method,” added Jugel. Following the four-week pilot in Dresden, the bikes in Leipzig will also be used for daily deliveries for a month.