CONFERENCE DAYS 2023: The future belongs to cargo bikes

Cargo bikes increasingly shape the cityscape. They can operate more flexibly than delivery vans in "inner-city fine distribution" of goods, but on the one hand they require suitable traffic routes, and on the other hand they need space for decentralized micro-depots from which deliveries can be made to the center. The focus of technological developments for professional use in city logistics is not only on the appropriate electric drive but also on efforts to increase the load capacity without requiring much more space. For this purpose, various concepts, from electrically assisted cargo bikes to light electric vehicles, are already in use, some even with trailers.

In its digital event series CONFERENCE DAYS, which HUSS-VERLAG is hosting for the third time this year, four of the main players in the development of various cargo bike concepts in Germany spoke on the topic "Opportunities and Limits of Cargo Bikes in City Logistics".

1. The Pioneer

One of the first in cargo bike transport, Dirk Brauer has been active in Berlin for 30 years. As the Head of Courier Center and Project Development at Messenger, a brokerage for courier services, he brings a wealth of experience in the bike courier business and logistics. After 15 years, Brauer noted, it became clear that conventional bike courier logistics were not sufficient for the volume of shipments, leading them to experiment with cargo bikes.

What started in 2006 with a small trailer has grown into an entire fleet of cargo bikes of different sizes. The goal of relieving cities with a "car replacement," he believes, sparked a veritable boom. Under the name "Relieve the Cities," Messenger is running a second project. According to Brauer, small cargo bikes are now indispensable in cities, and a full 50 percent of them are already electrified.

Challenge of Space

While the possibility of delivering more increases business revenue, challenges still exist, such as expanding logistics to larger cargo bikes and, above all, providing sufficient space for the necessary micro-hubs. Messenger is working with four major package logistics providers to develop solutions for shipment stations or "parcel boxes" for both large and small transfers. Regarding the crucial establishment of "micro-hubs" for business, significant progress has already been made in Berlin.

Moderator Johannes Reichel, Head of Test + Technology at LOGISTRA, pointed out that cargo bike logistics still leaves much to be desired, especially for larger shipments. Although CEP services (courier, express, and parcel services) are busy, numerous other goods are delivered to cities, and trucks, in particular, take up a lot of space while delivering at the roadside. The next speaker could also contribute to this specific problem:

2. Less-Than-Truckload Logistics by Cargo Bike

While small goods can be transported well by bicycle, what about larger deliveries? Peter Blösl, Managing Director of B4B Logistics, has specialized in the delivery of less-than-truckload goods using e2trail trailers, alongside cargo bike transportation, as a substitute for CEP deliveries on the last mile. The Munich start-up aims to predominantly deliver to customers within the city's environmental zone in the future.

Multiple Advantages

The advantages of this system are obvious to Blösl: for instance, forecasts suggest that in two to three years there will hardly be any qualified drivers available for delivery vehicles. On the other hand, the cost share for last-mile less-than-truckload transport is a significant 25 percent, making it an important factor. Additionally, there is an increasing emphasis on climate compatibility. Environmental zones are being expanded, climate action plans are being drawn up by the federal government and the EU, and customers are placing more emphasis on "sustainability" - all bad news for conventional delivery vehicles but an ideal playing field for cargo bike-like developments, especially in trailer form, that could bring less-than-truckload goods into cities. This is precisely what B4B does.

The company, based in Schondorf am Ammersee, provides logistics spaces with micro-hubs, i.e., parcel collection points. The hauliers deliver their goods there, the pallets are then taken over and promptly delivered by B4B. The delivery area is Munich's core environmental zone, which is relevant for both environmental and cost aspects and quite large.

Individually Up to 200 Kilos

Converted into a completely autonomous vehicle capable of loading pallets, the payload as a single e-bike with a length of 3 meters is around 200 kilograms. The in-house development would also be suitable for longer distances.

As a Trailer Up to 600 Kilos

As a trailer with an additional trailer, the e-bike is around 5 meters long and can autonomously load around 400 kilograms on the trailer alone, making a total payload of 600 kilograms for the entire rig. In early May, the company plans to begin a three-month trial phase with one of Germany's largest logistics providers and later expand the system throughout Munich.

Thorough Training in Advance

When asked by a chat participant when a form of driver's license for this transport system would be required and how qualified personnel could be found, Blösl responded that they couldn't wait for potential regulations, nor was it necessarily required. The company provides its own training, educating employees before they hit the road—successfully: "We have had no serious accidents with heavy cargo bikes in seven years." It would work with the necessary caution – "you have to approach it carefully." An important aspect here would be the distribution of weight at the front and rear with the pallets. Additionally, they are continuously working on the improvement of components such as brakes.

Competition for Car Drivers

In any case, these transport machines could not be on the bike path; separate lanes would be needed, or car drivers would have to get used to increasingly encountering cargo bike variations on the road. The next guest was also invited for the e2Trail development as an extension of the cargo bikes for larger transport volumes.

3. With Trailer for Commercial Use: e2Trail

The company e2trail is also based in Schondorf am Ammersee and manufactures hub trailers for cargo bikes for commercial use on "road, bike path, pedestrian zone, and factory premises." With the integrated hub function, which will also be motorized in the future, heavy loads can also be lifted.

Holger Emmert, Managing Director of e2Trail, reasons the development mainly due to the relatively high cost of cargo bikes. About 20,000 euros are required. However, compared to cars, the loading space size and payload are rather low, and flexibility leaves much to be desired. Another disadvantage: the loading surface is precisely between the wheels, reducing its width and thus the loading space.

With e2Trail, however, these disadvantages can be eliminated, and costs for loading capacity reduced. The payload is specified as over 250 kilograms, with a loading volume of up to 1.7 cubic meters. The goods can also be moved much more flexibly with the hub function. Several successful test runs have already taken place in the gastronomy sector.

Multifunctional Trailer with Hub Function and More Loading Space

The e2trail trailer can not only be fixed to the bicycle but also used as an e-handcart or sack truck. Special solutions, such as a pick-up variant, can also be manufactured. Since there are no wheels on the sides, space is not lost, increasing loading efficiency. "If the loader is 80 centimeters wide, then the loading surface is just as wide" - resulting in up to 50 percent more loading area compared to conventional cargo bikes of the same width.

Although climate considerations also play a role, the determining factor for application is the price: "It has to pay off." A study concluded that the use of cargo bikes is indeed cheaper than Kfz (motor vehicle) transport. However, the operation with the e2trail trailer becomes even more economical and truly profitable. So even without focusing on "sustainability," the cost advantage is immense.

However, cargo bikes would still have to share normal road traffic, "there are no cargobike lanes yet." And in this context, the already proposed speed limit of 30 km/h makes sense to create more acceptance.

4. With Moped License: HopOn Light Electric Vehicle

Norbert Kerkhoff spoke on behalf of the Münster-based company CaritAutomotive, which has developed a HopOn transport system as a light electric vehicle. Founded in 2009, the company works, among other things, in the field of exhaust aftertreatment and light vehicles - a fitting topic for "Münster, the bicycle capital," which has more bicycles than inhabitants. Kerkhoff assumes that the delivery volume will continue to increase significantly in the future. However, since CEP services no longer predominantly serve industrial areas but also inner-city areas, it is foreseeable that new solutions will be needed as delivery volumes increase.

CaritAutomotive has worked with some of the key package service providers to develop the concept of a new delivery vehicle, continually comparing it with cargo bikes and load bikes since 2016. The new product should ideally, for example, be narrow and low-maintenance and have an integrated mini-depot - always according to the principle "less is more": narrow, agile, emission-free, with a universal platform.

This led to the idea of a mini-depot solution operated by two people: one operates the mini-depot as a driver, and the other delivers the individual goods on the e-vehicle for the last mile. These developments are still ongoing, with the patent for the HopOn solution as a light electric vehicle in its final phase, according to Kerkhoff. It is built to automotive standards, approved for road traffic, and requires only a Class AM driver's license (traditional moped license) to operate, ensuring safety.

Ideas are progressing further here as well: they are working on a HopOn box as a long version for two pallets, potentially opening various applications for municipalities, gardening and landscaping companies, delivery services, and the food sector. GPS tracking and remote-control functions are also set to be integrated. Moreover, the vehicle automatically locks and unlocks depending on the driver's proximity. The HopOn Classic can take a standard pallet weighing up to 250 kilograms, while the long version for two pallets should be even easier to drive – "you hop on the vehicle and have a good overview."

Up to 90 Kilometers Range

The range depends on battery performance, ranging between 25 and 90 kilometers, with an average of about 50 kilometers achieved in tests with CEP services. The cost for the HopOn is around 13,600 euros for the standard version. Convenient charging is also factored in, with a standard plug available for recharging the battery anywhere.

The concluding question revolved around obstacles for using e-cargo bikes and desirable regulations. All participants agreed: while there are subsidies in certain areas, "the government needs to do more" (Brauer). Investments require planning security. Nevertheless, the development is seen on the right track: "it is moving forward," especially as more attention is paid to service and maintenance, as there are still too few workshops specialized in these vehicles. Brauer: "When a logistics provider uses such vehicles, they quickly reach their limit at 50 kilometers a day."

Generally, the trend cannot be stopped – but now politics and municipalities also need to pick up the ball, as the potential in this area has apparently "not yet been fully understood."

With the establishment of corresponding regulations, Moderator Johannes Reichel said, business should, however, accelerate – "then the business case will certainly also grow," for example, if according to the Bicycle Logistics Association, "at least 30 percent of deliveries are to be made by cargo bike by 2030." Reichel as a summary: the solutions are there; they just need to be applied.