eBikes could be the next big thing. Are they a step forward or a step back in time?
When you think of someone on a bicycle making a delivery, chances are you imagine a young boy from 1950s America, throwing newspapers at houses as he speeds down the wrong side of the road on a red bike. Or maybe you think of the more recent phenomenon of Deliveroo delivery riders, cycling as fast as they can to bring takeaways to hungry people all over London. But delivery bikes could be taking on a whole new face – that is, if the new eBike concept takes off.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I didn’t know what they were either until I read this article by Post & Parcel. In April 2018, the Parisian branch of UPS began a six-month test of what are known as eBikes. Each day, they dispatch a few of these electric bikes with a trailer full of parcels attached, and make deliveries and collect return loads all around Paris.
These bikes use both electricity and manpower, allowing the riders to choose one or the other depending on their mood – or combine the two for maximum efficiency. As they aren’t motorized vehicles, they can be much easier to manoeuvre throughout crowded cities.
Still not sure what to make of these eBikes? Check out the positives and negatives and decide for yourself.
Pros
- Cost efficiency: no petrol costs.
- Reduction in urban congestion: less traffic = faster and more deliveries.
- Reduction in the industry’s environmental footprint.
- Healthy employees: drivers are physically active in a job that is normally sedentary.
Cons
- Longer journeys are not cost effective.
- Purchasing new equipment can be expensive.
- Less capacity than traditional delivery vehicles.
- Increased human fatigue from too much pedalling.
So what do you think? Are eBikes the future of deliveries? Or are you quite happy to drive right past them? Let us know!
