Two pilot projects were launched by DHL Express in Frankfurt, Germany and Utrecht, Holland. In each city, two Armadillos (called Cubicycles within DHL), four City Containers and a custom City Container trailer (called City Hub within DHL) were taken into operation.
A DHL van delivers the trailer into the city center, where the containers can be quickly loaded on to two Cubicyles for last-mile inner-city delivery. It can then be reloaded for outbound shipments.
“Bicycles offer a number of advantages in express delivery operations: they can bypass traffic congestion and make up to two times as many stops per hour than a delivery vehicle. The total cost of ownership over their lifetime is less than half of a van. And crucially, they generate zero emissions, which reinforces our own ongoing program to minimize our environmental footprint and supports city governments’ efforts to promote sustainable city living.”
