Parcel giant DPD will begin testing a pedal-powered delivery van in London this June, with electrical assistance to boost drivers up hills and along lengthier routes. The new pod-like vehicle, developed by Oxfordshire-based Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) in partnership with DPD, is a cargo-carrying e-bike which weighs only 75kg but can carry a load of up to 150kg.

EAV launched the vehicle, called the P1, at the world’s first international e-bike summit in Oxford on 10 April 2019. “The P1 is a van engineered down to an e-bike,” said Adam Barmby, EAV technical director, speaking to E&T at the event. “Weight is the enemy of efficiency, that’s why e-bikes are so good – they’re light and they take so little effort to ride.” As an e-bike, the P1 is allowed to travel in bike lanes and pedestrianised areas, as well as in normal traffic.

Riders pedal the P1 like a bike, using a thumb switch to activate a 250-watt motor to take the vehicle up to six miles per hour, after which the electrical assistance continues as the crank turns. Regenerative braking recharges the battery, which is also compatible with standard charging stations. The motor is even futureproofed with the ability to upgrade its torque via an app, if legislation should allow it.

“It’s a pivotal moment for the sector,” said Ade Thomas, organiser of the e-bike summit, which was sponsored by EDF Energy. Policy-makers and electric vehicle experts alike took up the chance to try out personal e-bikes in the summit’s test-ride area – from the Hummingbird, the world’s lightest e-bike, to the folding Brompton Electric, as well as bikes by Riese and Muller and Tern. Innovative products included self-cancelling WingLight indicators by Cycl that can be retrofitted to bike handlebars, as seen on Dragons’ Den. Dutch company VanMoof, meanwhile, is stopping bike theft in its tracks with various built-in security features, plus a team of Bike Hunters who will track a stolen machine down – or give you a new one if they fail.

However, it’s cargo bikes for last-mile deliveries that are currently moving into the fast lane. Royal Mail began trialling a fleet of e-trikes for letter and parcel deliveries during March 2019 in Stratford, East London, as well as in Cambridge and Sutton Coldfield. Online food courier company Deliveroo is also offering e-bikes to its 60,000 riders via a rental scheme. “I expect that the majority of delivery riders will be using e-bikes before long,” commented Paul Mather, Deliveroo’s Global Vehicle Solutions Lead, at the summit. He said that trials had indicated 20 per cent more deliveries per hour could be made on e-bikes.

The advantages of e-cargo bikes include their quiet running and smaller size, in comparison with cars and vans. As streets grow increasingly congested with delivery vehicles, greener options are gaining urgency. “The Department of Transport has a mandate to decarbonise and has made £2m available to businesses through the Ecargo Bike Grant Fund,” said Thomas.

The Energy Savings Trust administer the grants and Tim Anderson, senior program manager for transport, said: “E-cargo bikes are also ideal for people in the service sector. There are good solutions of all sizes right down to personal bikes with racks for people fixing boilers or carrying out repairs house-to-house, collecting parts from a common hub. It’s all about greening the last mile.”

Health benefits to e-bike riders are plentiful, with the electrical assistance taking the strain where needed. Full acceptance of e-bikes will rely on safety – a factor Adam Barmby at EAV takes on board: “We want the P1 to be universally accepted as a little vehicle.” Accordingly, the engineering team at EAV has included safety features that go beyond current requirements: indicators, brake lights and wing mirrors, plus the capacity to speed-limit the vehicle in pedestrian zones by using a GPS tracker.

The P1’s chassis is modular and will be adaptable to a long wheelbase with a 2.4 cubic metre capacity, or to carrying a trailer. Hydraulic brakes are another feature. As Barmby explains, “The P1 is over-braked and we think legally there should be a deceleration figure that bikes have to adhere to, to make them safe. Here, we’ve designed something that could fit into the fleet mix of every delivery company, everywhere.”

Parcel giant DPD will begin testing a pedal-powered delivery van in London this June, with electrical assistance to boost drivers up hills and along lengthier routes. The new pod-like vehicle, developed by Oxfordshire-based Electric Assisted Vehicles (EAV) in partnership with DPD, is a cargo-carrying e-bike which weighs only 75kg but can carry a load of up to 150kg.

EAV launched the vehicle, called the P1, at the world’s first international e-bike summit in Oxford on 10 April 2019. “The P1 is a van engineered down to an e-bike,” said Adam Barmby, EAV technical director, speaking to E&T at the event. “Weight is the enemy of efficiency, that’s why e-bikes are so good – they’re light and they take so little effort to ride.” As an e-bike, the P1 is allowed to travel in bike lanes and pedestrianised areas, as well as in normal traffic.

Riders pedal the P1 like a bike, using a thumb switch to activate a 250-watt motor to take the vehicle up to six miles per hour, after which the electrical assistance continues as the crank turns. Regenerative braking recharges the battery, which is also compatible with standard charging stations. The motor is even futureproofed with the ability to upgrade its torque via an app, if legislation should allow it.

“It’s a pivotal moment for the sector,” said Ade Thomas, organiser of the e-bike summit, which was sponsored by EDF Energy. Policy-makers and electric vehicle experts alike took up the chance to try out personal e-bikes in the summit’s test-ride area – from the Hummingbird, the world’s lightest e-bike, to the folding Brompton Electric, as well as bikes by Riese and Muller and Tern. Innovative products included self-cancelling WingLight indicators by Cycl that can be retrofitted to bike handlebars, as seen on Dragons’ Den. Dutch company VanMoof, meanwhile, is stopping bike theft in its tracks with various built-in security features, plus a team of Bike Hunters who will track a stolen machine down – or give you a new one if they fail.

However, it’s cargo bikes for last-mile deliveries that are currently moving into the fast lane. Royal Mail began trialling a fleet of e-trikes for letter and parcel deliveries during March 2019 in Stratford, East London, as well as in Cambridge and Sutton Coldfield. Online food courier company Deliveroo is also offering e-bikes to its 60,000 riders via a rental scheme. “I expect that the majority of delivery riders will be using e-bikes before long,” commented Paul Mather, Deliveroo’s Global Vehicle Solutions Lead, at the summit. He said that trials had indicated 20 per cent more deliveries per hour could be made on e-bikes.

The advantages of e-cargo bikes include their quiet running and smaller size, in comparison with cars and vans. As streets grow increasingly congested with delivery vehicles, greener options are gaining urgency. “The Department of Transport has a mandate to decarbonise and has made £2m available to businesses through the Ecargo Bike Grant Fund,” said Thomas.

The Energy Savings Trust administer the grants and Tim Anderson, senior program manager for transport, said: “E-cargo bikes are also ideal for people in the service sector. There are good solutions of all sizes right down to personal bikes with racks for people fixing boilers or carrying out repairs house-to-house, collecting parts from a common hub. It’s all about greening the last mile.”

Health benefits to e-bike riders are plentiful, with the electrical assistance taking the strain where needed. Full acceptance of e-bikes will rely on safety – a factor Adam Barmby at EAV takes on board: “We want the P1 to be universally accepted as a little vehicle.” Accordingly, the engineering team at EAV has included safety features that go beyond current requirements: indicators, brake lights and wing mirrors, plus the capacity to speed-limit the vehicle in pedestrian zones by using a GPS tracker.

The P1’s chassis is modular and will be adaptable to a long wheelbase with a 2.4 cubic metre capacity, or to carrying a trailer. Hydraulic brakes are another feature. As Barmby explains, “The P1 is over-braked and we think legally there should be a deceleration figure that bikes have to adhere to, to make them safe. Here, we’ve designed something that could fit into the fleet mix of every delivery company, everywhere.”