UPS Launches eBike Solution in Pittsburgh
Looking for a workout, a new addition to your fleet and a great way to keep your drivers fit? Consider what UPS has done with the launch of an eBike that will deliver packages in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The electrically-assisted tricycle is designed to help reduce carbon emissions in addition to minimizing traffic, noise and air quality challenges in Pittsburgh.
The deployment is part of UPS’s Cycle Solutions and the company’s Rolling Laboratory, which tests alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles.
“Working with cities like Pittsburgh to provide them with a delivery solution that helps reduce congestion and emissions and improve air and noise quality is the latest example of how to meet the needs of today’s cities,” said Barb Jaram, UPS Mid Atlantic District president.
Pittsburgh residents joined the City of Pittsburgh’s Karina Ricks, mobility and infrastructure director and Grant Ervin, chief resilience officer with UPS representatives at a UPS facility to debut the eBike. The eBike route is planned to go around downtown Pittsburgh.
“In Pittsburgh we welcome solutions like the eBike to reduce traffic congestion and tackle urban growth,” said Pittsburgh Mayor, William Peduto. “We encourage companies like UPS to work with our residents and businesses to create innovative solutions to the complex urban challenges we face every day.”
The success of the eBike was first demonstrated in 2012 in Hamburg, Germany, where UPS focused on developing a new and sustainable method of delivering goods to urban areas. UPS placed four containers at central locations in the city for interim storage of packages for UPS drivers.
From these points, deliveries were made on foot or with specialized electronically-assisted cargo tricycles that ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions each working day. Due to the success of the pilot, the Hamburg program was already extended. That model serves as a prototype for the company’s new eBike in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The eBike is equipped with battery-powered electric motors that makes it possible to cover longer distances than traditional bikes, carry substantial loads and navigate hills and other terrain. Maximum energy efficiency is achieved when combining battery power and human power simultaneously. The eBike can be operated solely on battery power or pedal power. UPS will evaluate the reliability, design, integration to the city’s infrastructure and acceptance of the vehicle. The intent is to operate the eBike in Pittsburgh as weather permits on a regular route year-round.
Category: Bikes
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