International Cargo Bike Festival 2020

SUSANNE BALM (PROJECT LEADER) & VINCENT BENSINK (GRADUATION STUDENT) FROM AUAS
GO ELECTRIC PROJECT
EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL OF CYCLE LOGISTICS
FOR SERVICE ENGINEERS
More and more cities and companies in the Netherlands’ strive towards emission-free city logistics in
2025. Furthermore, driving into the city becomes more difficult because of one-way streets and scarcity
of parking space. About 25% of delivery vans in cities belong to service engineers providing maintenance,
installation and repair services. If they want to continue doing so, service companies are advised to start
using alternative, more sustainable transport modes.
Questions & concerns
The concept definitely sparked Unica’s interest but not
without some questions and concerns. The legislation
and regulations concerning the hub are unclear, the effect
on the overall schedule and the attitude of the engineers
towards this mobility change are yet unknown. Further
research is required: How can the process involving a
semi-mobile hub in combination with an electric-cargo bike
be turned into a viable option for Unica?
The focus of the analysis will be on engineers who are
operating in Amsterdam. This is because of the dense
network and therefore favourable conditions for cycle
logistics. Also, the expected introduction of a zeroemission
zone in Amsterdam lends this city the highest
urgency for an alternative way of travel and transportation.
Results
Would you like to hear more? The Amsterdam University
of Applied Sciences (AUAS) will present the results of the
research at the ICBF 2020.
MORE INFORMATION WWW.HVA.NL/GASOPELEKTRISCH
With thanks to: Hans Baars
(The Hub Company), Jehudi van
de Brug (Urban Arrow) and
Sander van der Harst (Unica).
Enter the Go Electric research project. In this project
fifteen partners work together to:
Analyse route data and characteristics of service
companies
Explore the attitude and behaviour of service
engineers with regard to alternative logistics solutions
Design, test and evaluate new solutions for
emission-free city logistics
Develop roadmaps for the transition to zero-emission
city logistics
This is done for three large service companies: Unica,
Heijmans and ENGIE. The Go Electric consortium supports
them in rethinking their fleet options and logistics
processes.
Besides options for an electric delivery van, Unica explores
the potential of an electric cargo bike and a semi-mobile
hub for inner city routes. The electric cargo bike will
enable the engineers of Unica to drive through busy streets
without any delay. The semi-mobile hub offers storage
capacity and functions as a charging station for the
e-cargo bike.
‘It is time to rethink fleet options
and logistics processes’
Unica: alternative solutions
Unica is a leading all-round technical service
provider in the fields of systems technology,
energy, ICT, Internet of Things (IoT) and
smart buildings. Their services include the
implementation and maintenance of
climate systems and the realization of
electrical facilities. Their fleet consists
of 1,500 vehicles: both commercial vans
and passenger cars. Unica strives to a
zero-emission fleet in 2030 and would like
to experiment with different solutions within
the Go Electric project.
12 INTERNATIONAL CARGO BIKE FESTIVAL 2020
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