DPD Germany has launched a mobility hub in Berlin for zero-emission deliveries to meet rising volumes of parcels generated by a rapid growth in e-commerce.
The parcel delivery firm has converted a former car repair shop into a micro-depot featuring two heavy-duty e-cargo bikes from German start-up ONO.
The bikes resemble small e-vans and have a range of around 60km (37 miles). Featuring GreenPack batteries and exchangeable cargo units with a capacity of 2m3 each, the e-cargo bikes are built for professional use in city logistics.
The fleet, which also includes an additional four cargo bikes, will be used for emission-free deliveries in the surrounding districts of Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, Pankow and Lichtenberg.
The project is in partnership with mobile energy company Swobbee, which has supplied a local battery swap station at the nearby Sprint filling station.
Swobbee said empty batteries can be exchanged for full ones at the station in seconds, enabling the e-fleet to remain mobile and saving DPD from needing to set up and operate its own charging infrastructure.
Furthermore, a Sprint Tank filling station will provide a 75kW charging station that can also be used by the VW eCrafter that supplies the micro-depot.
Volker Kretschmer, managing director of Sprint Tank, said: “The project is a labour of love for us. Because of its infrastructure and demographic location, the Sprint filling station in Kniprode Street has for some time been our pilot mobility hub in terms of alternative and sustainable mobility offers.
“We therefore didn’t hesitate for a second when we received a request from DPD and the project partners ONO and Swobbee to join them in creating a sustainable micro-depot.”
According to DPD, 400 parcels per day will be delivered initially, with the volume likely to increase in future owing to a possibility to re-load the cargo bikes at the micro-depot.
The project – part of DPD’s wider DriveChange sustainability strategy – follows the successful completion of KoMoDo, a cross-provider trial with the cooperative use of micro-depots between DHL, DPD, GLS, Hermes and UPS.
