International Cargo Bike Festival: London

Showing posts with label London. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Low Impact City Logistics; Introducing the 'Net-Neutral' e-Trailer

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #41

The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

The Low Impact City Logistics e-trailer in London traffic. Photo credit: G Fonne

Low Impact City Logistics is a collaborative project that has developed an innovative ‘net-neutral load’ electric powered trailer. To the rider, the e-trailer feels ‘weightless’; meaning high payloads can be carried with relative ease. The e-trailer can carry a payload of 200kg and also has a walking mode so that it can, if required, be de-coupled from the bike and walked, still using e-assist, closer to the loading/unloading point.

How the e-trailer achieves this ‘weightlessness’ is down to its ability to regulate speed so that, when on the move, it is always going at the same speed as the bike. It does this by using its motor to either add or remove energy from the wheels, based on feedback from a coupling which constantly senses the distance between the bike and e-trailer.

The coupling senses the speed of the bike and feeds this back to the motor.
Photo still from Skotkonung video: "UPS Low Impact City Logistics Trial".

The e-trailer is also designed to be as energy-efficient as possible. When it slows down, rather than simply dissipating energy as heat from friction, the energy is fed back into the battery. This is achieved by reversing the motor. Robin Haycock, Director at Fernhay, the company which developed the e-trailer, puts it like this: “Basically you have a battery full of energy, this energy is used to accelerate a mass (the e-trailer and parcels). If I want to decelerate that mass, then I want to save that energy back to the battery. In conventional freight bikes or pedelecs there is no function or capability to do this and the energy is converted into heat and lost via the disc brakes.”

Low Impact City Logistics as a project however, is not just about development of innovative bike-trailer technology. The aim is to design a complete system which will provide more efficient ways to provide door to door delivery services to cities, with a particular focus on the last mile. The project is also looking at methods by which packages can be loaded at depots (to get rid, for example, of double handling) all directed by innovative distribution software. A trial period of the systems involved ran in Camden, London, in November and December 2017, further details from which will be available later on this year.

A UPS liveried e-trailer is recharged. Photo credit: G Fonne

The project, part-funded by government agency Innovate UK, has several partners besides Fernhay, all of whom fulfil different roles. Technology company Skotkonung wrote optimisation algorithms which allow routing efficiency to be continuously improved using a GPS tracker in the e-trailer. The University of Huddersfield provided some of the expertise with which the e-trailer was developed. Cambridge-based cycle logistics operator Outspoken! Delivery conducted initial testing on the e-trailer. UPS, as the lead logistics partner on the project, operated the trailer in London and it was their packages that were being delivered in London during the trial.

Testing under way at Outspoken! Delivery. Photo credit: Outspoken! Delivery

Project: Low Impact City Logistics
Organisations: Fernhay, Outspoken! Delivery, Skotkonung, UPS and Huddersfield University.
City: London
Country: UK
Basis: Pilot

Sources:
London Evening Standard: “Parcel delivery firm UPS trials environmentally-friendly bike trailers to replace diesel trucks in central London”
UPS: “Innovative ‘depot-to-door’ system reduces traffic congestion and carbon emissions”
Post & Parcel: “Electric-powered delivery trailers to be trialled in London”
That’s Cambridge: “A New Form Of Cargo Transport” (Video)
Skotkonung: "UPS Low Impact City Logistics Trial" (Video)

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Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Pedal Me - MaaS by bike on the streets of London

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #17

The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

London-based startup Pedal Me is taking the trend of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and applying it to bikes. The company exists to carry a precious cargo around the city; passengers. To do this, specially adapted bikes, which were developed in collaboration with Dutch manufacturer Urban Arrow, are used. A smartphone app allows customers to request rides, get a price estimate and follow the progress of their rider as they approach.

Pedal Me's unique selling point in such a congested city is speed; bicycles can travel much faster across London than traditional vehicles. To prove this beyond doubt, trials were run in summer 2016 which included tests over five different 2 mile courses in Central London. Average times were compared to Google Maps estimates for a car taking the same trip (estimates which in practice are mostly underestimated, time-wise).

The test results were clear: on average, journeys took 10mins for the bike and 19mins for the car. The verdict; once Pedal Me are operating at scale they should be able to complete almost twice as many journeys as cars. This potentially puts them in an immensely advantageous position compared to other MaaS providers such as Uber; bikes cost less to run but can do more.

This extra capacity allows Pedal Me the financial space in which to operate a responsible business model where close relationships with direct employees working for reasonable pay can be fostered. This focus on good labour relations will allow quality control over how employees ride and eliminate perverse incentives.

The plan is indeed to scale up the idea, firstly in London and then across the UK. If it works in London, with the perceived intensity and hostility of the road conditions there, it should be able to work anywhere, although each new location would come with a unique set of challenges. London's network of separated cycle lanes is growing, but is currently nowhere near that of any city in The Netherlands. So as London makes the transition to a more cycle friendly city over the coming decades, as current trends suggest it will, business conditions for Pedal Me are likely to grow ever more favourable.

Despite this, founder Ben Knowles is pragmatic about working within the current situation: “The main issue we have here in London is training the riders to a level that we're happy with them riding in traffic with customers on board. The things that are generally good practice for riding in traffic are not that intuitive, such as riding in line with the vehicles and being confident about taking the whole lane. It's much safer but it is quite intimidating for new riders.”

“Our test is quite hard; you have to pass Bikeability Level 3, then there's a handling test away from traffic, followed by a 30 minute test similar to the UK driving test, with minor, major and serious faults. If there are any major or serious faults, that could potentially end up with a collision, then that rider fails. We'd review at that point and decide whether to invite that person back again. A serious fault is defined as one where you only have to do it 5-10 times and you'll have a collision and are taking evasive action; a major fault is any which fails the 'Bens Granny Test' - something which would either make my Granny nervous, or would result in a collision if you tried the same move 500 or 1000 times. It's based on a risk assessment and we wrote the requirements of the testing to suit that.”

Another aim is for Pedal Me to act as a catalyst, to inspire others to cycle and think about cargo bikes in particular. This has inspired the Pedal Me team lead to introduce elements of diversification into their business model. Regular school runs and delivery of small packages are already parts of Pedal Me's repertoire. Knowles adds: “One of the impacts I'm hoping it's going to have is to increase the number of people on cargo bikes, because you're showing people what's possible, getting people thinking. We quite often have conversations with passengers about where you could get a bike like this.”

Innovations: Mobility as a Service (Maas)

Organisation: Pedal Me

Sector: Mobility

Cities: London

Country: UK

Basis: Permanent

Website: pedalme.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/pedalmeapp
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pedalmeapp
Instagram: http://instagram.com/pedalmeapp

Contact: Ben Knowles, +44 (0)203 189 1612, support@pedalme.co.uk

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Monday, March 6, 2017

Waltham Forest Council - Christmas Courier

Register of Initiatives in Pedal Powered Logistics - RIPPL #7

The RIPPL blog continues at the website RIPPL.BIKE

Christmas Courier was a pilot scheme run by Waltham Forest Council employing Cycle Confident, a UK-based bicycle services and training company to undertake retail deliveries in the busy period running up to Christmas. The scheme ran between 12 and 23 December 2016 from a mobile hub on Walthamstow High Street in North-East London.

The mobile hub

The aims of the scheme, which made use of a fleet of cargo bikes as well as an electric van, were to:

Reduce private vehicle usage and Increase active travel amongst residents
Reduce traffic congestion on roads
Reduce CO2 emissions, NOx and particulates
Increase community involvement in supporting businesses and emission reduction work
Promote sustainable transport.

The target audience was not just shoppers on Walthamstow High Street, whom Christmas Courier staff would offer to deliver their shopping to their homes, but also local businesses; 20 of which engaged with the scheme. Deliveries from the businesses and onwards to their customers' homes were carried out by Christmas Courier.

The catchment area was clearly defined and spanned neighbouring postcodes

The pilot scheme received a lot of positive feedback and was deemed a success. Customer feedback suggests that the scheme did bring about behavioural changes among high street shoppers, enabling them to buy more items than normal and influencing them to shop locally rather than in central London or online.

Part of the Christmas Courier fleet.

Overall, 1000 packages were delivered in 515 journeys, an average of 43 deliveries per day. A distance of 2636km was cycled, saving 400kg of CO2 equivalent emissions. The Council have secured funding from the Mayor of London's Air Quality Fund to continue the scheme in 2017, albeit with a less festive theme.

Mission Control

Innovations: Air Quality Goals, Christmas Theme, Public Sector involvement as a catalyst

Organisation: Christmas Courier (London Borough of Waltham Forest)

Sector: Government

City: London

Country: UK

Bike Manufacturer(s): Bullitt, Omnium, Christiania, Bakfiets

Basis: Pilot

Website: www.waltham-forest.gov.uk/christmas-courier

Do you want to add your pedal powered initiative to RIPPL?

Sources:

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/content/christmas-courier

http://road.cc/content/news/214233-worlds-first-council-run-cargo-bike-delivery-service-christmas-courier-set

http://camdencyclists.org.uk/2016/12/worlds-first-council-run-cargo-bike-delivery-service-christmas-courier-set-to-reduce-emissions-in-east-london/
https://twitter.com/hashtag/christmascourier?lang=en

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Thursday, December 22, 2016

Cyclehoop - Maintenance Bike

Cyclehoop is a cycle parking company based in South East London. The company works with several of London's 33 local authorities, or boroughs.

Among Cyclehoop's most successful products are Bikehangars and public bike pumps and because these products have moving parts, regular maintenance is required. Cyclehoop employs one person specifically for this job and instead of a van, a cargo bike is used. All tools and materials necessary to clean, maintain and fix the Bikehangars and Pumps are able to be carried on the bike.

This approach makes a lot of sense in London, where congestion means crossing the city is much quicker by bike. The nature of the work means that multiple stops are necessary, which would be made difficult in a van by London's narrow, busy streets and expensive because of parking restrictions.