Cargo bikes are often faced with misconceptions about their potential and use for large scale logistics. Pedal Me presents their trip data in London to demonstrate the efficiency in dense urban areas and emphasizes their competitive advantage over cars and smaller vans.
Some conclusions:
- Cargo bikes are faster than vans in dense urban area
- Cargo bikes have shorter trip lengths than vans: on average, bike trips were 6% shorter than car trips.
An e-cargo bike can carry up to 150kg, with trailers adding in an additional 150kg. The loads transported by Pedal Me around London are impressive to many, and customers are often surprised by the volume and weight they can hold. The limited capacity of e-cargo bikes can be a deceiving aspect of their efficiency for large scale last-mile delivery operations.
While studies point at a wide range of estimates for the proportion of van journeys replaceable by cargo bikes in urban areas (anywhere between 10-90%, although often in the lower ranges), Pedal Me believes them to be a usually pessimistic take that underestimates the carrying capacity of e-cargo bikes. The direct impact of cargo bikes goes far beyond the improved efficiency of urban logistics.
Source: Pedal Me