FedEx increase their electrically assisted delivery bike fleet

In 2021, FedEx Express set a global target for 50% of all newly-procured parcel pickup and delivery vehicles to be electric by 2025. To this end they added 23 electric vans to their London fleet last year and have now augmented those with eight new cargo bikes.

The electrically assisted four-wheel delivery bikes are expected to eventually replace six diesel vans and avoid an estimated 22,000 kgs of CO2 emissions per year.

E-bike manufacturer, Electric Assisted Vehicles Ltd (EAV), worked with FedEx Express to develop and test the new model e-cargo bikes after it was awarded £150,000 from the Department for Transport under the Freight Innovation Fund programme. 

The addition of these cargo bikes takes the FedEx fleet in the UK to 34 e-cargo bikes, with vehicles already in use in Glasgow, Cambridge, Huntington, and Norwich where they have replaced diesel vehicles for serving emissions-restricted zones. 

The bikes have been designed for use in all weather conditions and feature EAV’s proprietary new eCargo wheel design. The chassis has fewer moving parts, making ongoing maintenance easier, and the optimised load capacity is designed to streamline delivery operations.

The e-cargo bikes can carry up to 170kg over 45 miles on a single battery charge. The batteries are recharged via a standard 3-pin plug, so a custom charging infrastructure solution in the stations is not required.

Rob Peto, Vice President Operations UK, FedEx Express said: ‘With these newest e-cargo bikes we further grow our fleet of e-cargo bikes in London, enabling us to deliver to our customers in an efficient and more environmentally conscious way. Besides the ability to take faster routes through the city, the use of e-cargo bikes also removes vehicle tailpipe emissions from last-mile delivery, which makes them a favoured last-mile solution in congested or restricted urban areas.’

Adam Barmby, Founder and CEO, EAV said: ‘With brilliant companies like FedEx we’re able to look beyond what our e-cargo bikes can do to reduce emissions on the road – and ensure that we’re advancing all aspects of last-mile efficiency through the delivery process. FedEx shares our passion for making the rider experience the best it can be, and enabling smarter, faster operations as we do so’.