Low-Emission Delivery

Have you seen one of these making Amazon deliveries yet?

They make so much sense.

These little four-wheeled, e-cargo vehicles are now pedaling all around the NYC neighborhood - the Flatiron District - where I live.

They don't have to pay the congestion charge.

They can use the bike lane so don't cause (or be delayed by) traffic.

They are very-low emission relative to alternatives, like trucks.

Who is the audience for this activation?

The prime audience (sneaky pun there) is Amazon shoppers in the neighborhood who are receiving packages.

They see the bike parked in front of their building and think of Amazon as an innovator.

Perhaps even as a first-mover when it comes to sustainability practices.

How did they do it?

To build the e-cargo vehicles, Amazon partnered with a German company, MUBEA, who designed the vehicles and who in turn has a partnership with the Hudson Steel Corporation here in the US.

Amazon also had to hire and train delivery staff on how to operate these safely on the - at times chaotic - streets and bike lanes of New York City.

I spoke with one of the drivers about whether it is difficult to use pedal-power for delivering this way.

His response was that the power-assisted pedal takes much of the effort out, and that “it is not more difficult to pedal one of these fully loaded than a regular bicycle.”

Good.

I wouldn’t be surprised if - and even hope that - other companies follow Amazon’s lead on this.