DHL Express has introduced a new vehicle to its fleet in the Netherlands to help further improve the company’s carbon efficiency. The Cubicycle is a quadracycle with a removable container with a cargo volume of 1m³ (35ft³).
The Cubicycle is built by recumbent bicycle manufacturer Flevobike, based in Dronten, and features electric power assistance allowing for faster acceleration from a starting position. The first Cubicycle has been deployed in the Dutch city of Almere.
Kees de Lange, vice president of operations, DHL Express Netherlands, said, “The Cubicycle is comfortable to ride and is surprisingly agile with a tight turning circle. Despite the large container, the bike fits perfectly on bike lanes. The height of the bike has been tailored so that other riders can see over it unhindered. This is a key distinguishing factor of the Cubicycle compared to other existing high volume bicycles.”
Thanks to its dimensions, which correspond to the size of a standard shipping pallet, the Cubicycle is easy to integrate into the company’s standardized shipment handling process. The container is delivered to a location near the city center where the bike starts its route making the process even more efficient.
Compared to the
Parcycle (parcel transportation cycle),
and also the backpack used in combination with a standard bicycle, the Cubicycle container offers much more space. On an average ride, it can be loaded with 125kg (276 lb) of shipments and the courier is expected to cycle about 50km (31 miles) per day.
The group’s environmental protection program GoGreen aims to minimize the impact of its business on the environment, with a focus on optimizing the carbon efficiency of all operations. For this reason, DHL has set itself a target to improve its carbon efficiency by 30% (against a 2007 baseline) by the year 2020. To date, the group has improved its carbon efficiency by 23%.
Deutsche Post DHL currently operates over 11,000 environmentally friendly vehicles including hybrids and electrified and aerodynamically adjusted cars. This comes in addition to a fleet of over 26,000 bikes of which 9,000 are electric bikes or trikes.
May 6, 2015
