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government announces a £2 million funding pot to
support uptake of e-cargo bikes
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e-cargo bikes offer a zero emission alternative to
traditional last mile delivery vehicles
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older diesel vans making short deliveries are currently
a major source of congestion and harmful emissions
The government has announced £2 million to support the uptake of
e-cargo bikes, driving UK companies towards a greener
future.
The funding will help pave the way for the nimble electric
delivery vehicles to replace older, polluting vans - helping to
improve the environment and reduce congestion.
The announcement is part of the international Zero Emission Vehicle
Summitbeing held in Birmingham this week. The event is
bringing together policy makers, industry experts and opinion
formers from around globe to tackle carbon emissions and to
explore ways to improve air quality.
, Minister for Low Emission
Vehicles, said:
Support for e-cargo bikes will help to ensure that Britain
leads the way in the development and deployment of the
technologies of the future.
Encouraging electric delivery bikes on to our city streets will
cut traffic and improve air quality, and will show how these
vehicles have the potential to play an important role in the
zero emission future of this country.
The government’s plans will encourage alternate green
technologies to counter the increasing usage of diesel delivery
vans that has accompanied the boom in internet shopping, and
comes as 16 of the UK’s
largest van fleet operators have signed up to the clean van
commitment in a bid to go electric.
In the last year alone spending online in the UK increased by 15.3% and the latest
road traffic estimates indicate van traffic increased by 4.7% to
49.5 billion vehicle miles in 2016.
Most of these vans are diesel, which cause congestion and have a
detrimental impact on the environment. Over time the government
expects to see increasing numbers of electric vans
on UK streets but
there is also a place for other delivery modes including e-cargo
bikes.
The announcement of the grant is an early response to
the last mile call for
evidence, which closes today (10 September 2018). The call
for evidence asked for views on how the government can harness
the opportunities for greener delivery in the commercial and
residential parts of our cities and towns. Further detail about
the distribution of this funding will be outlined shortly along
with the government’s full response to the call for evidence.
It also builds on previous government-funded UK trials for e-cargo bikes in
Spring 2017. The Department for Transport’s Innovation Challenge
Fundgrant enabled London-based e-cargo Bikes to set up their
first Micro Hub on an industrial estate in Islington from which
grocery delivery trials with Sainsbury’s were conducted.
The trials exceeded expectations in its potential commercial
viability and efficiency, which showed that 96.7% of orders could
be fulfilled in a single e-cargo bike drop.
This funding builds on the government’s Road to Zero
Strategy which outlines the government’s ambition to
lead the world in the design and manufacturing of zero emission
vehicles.
It also forms an important part of the government’s work on
the Future of Mobility Grand
Challenge, part of the modern Industrial Strategy,
which is considering how emerging technologies and services can
be used to address a range of transport challenges.
