Electric cargo bikes are now being used for consumer deliveries by Amazon in Croydon, South London.
Following launches of electric cargo bikes for delivery in Wembley, Southwark, Shoreditch, Manchester and Glasgow, they will now serve customers in Croydon – from Amazon’s latest ‘micromobility hub’.
These destinations are being established by Amazon in order to support its aim to decarbonise delivery in urban areas. From these micromobility hubs, Amazon will use electric cargo bikes and walking deliveries rather than fossil fuel-powered vehicles, in a move it said will reduce pollution and congestion caused by the online delivery sector.
Electric cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries from Amazon are now operational from hubs in more than 20 cities across the UK and Europe, with this strategy forming part of the business’s five-year, £300 million investment in decarbonisation and electrification across its UK network.
James Partridge, Amazon Croydon delivery station manager. “This new hub will help us to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads around Croydon while also bringing more electric-powered deliveries to our customers in South London.”
Amazon said electric cargo bikes and walkers are now expected to make around 2.5 million deliveries to Amazon customers across the UK every year.
Asad Jillani, director of Falcon Transport & Logistics – one of Amazon’s delivery service partners in Croydon – commented: “We’re looking forward to making many more sustainable deliveries as we approach the holiday season.”
According to Amazon, more than 1,000 electric delivery vans are already in Amazon’s operation on UK roads, including some from German manufacturer Citkar (shown in main picture). They run alongside nine fully electric heavy goods vehicles in Amazon’s fleet, which have replaced some of the traditional diesel trucks the company uses for distribution purposes.
Read more about Amazon’s plans for electrification across Europe in Green Retail World
Other retailers investing in electric vehicle partnerships and alternatively-fuelled vehicles and introducing them to their delivery fleets include Ocado, Majestic Wine, and Tesco.
[Image credit: Amazon]
