General News Royal Mail trials e-trikes

[Pedelecs]

Mail by e-trike will be making its debut in Stratford (London), Cambridge and Sutton Coldfield later this month.
The 6 month trial is being heralded as an example of Royal Mail’s efforts to reduce C02 emissions. The 250w assisted trike’s cargo area will offer a large load capacity for letters and smaller parcels being delivered in trial areas.
Eight e-trikes are taking part in the trial, with Royal Mail hoping for a wider roll out in future. Royal Mail say that e-trikes are the ‘first of a kind’ for a company that has delivered the nation’s post by various modes of transport, from horse and cart to steam engine – with 2019 marking 120 years since Royal Mail first experimented with motorised vehicles for deliveries.
Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: “I’m delighted that Royal Mail is trialling e-trikes which will take polluting vehicles off our streets – helping to reduce congestion and clean up London’s toxic air. I hope this trial will be extended and...

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[anotherkiwi]

https://www.ligier-professional.fr/fr/content/le-pulse-3-micro-utilitaire-électrique-pendulaire-équipe-les-facteurs-de-la-poste

Not on trial, in every day use for quite a while. A moped not a pedelec.

If I was designing a pedelec for the post office I would design this:

Oh well... somebody already did... Can be covered and locked, the mail is reachable without dismounting, weather protection could be easily deployed.

 

[grldtnr]

https://www.ligier-professional.fr/fr/content/le-pulse-3-micro-utilitaire-électrique-pendulaire-équipe-les-facteurs-de-la-poste

Not on trial, in every day use for quite a while. A moped not a pedelec.

If I was designing a pedelec for the post office I would design this:

Oh well... somebody already did... Can be covered and locked, the mail is reachable without dismounting, weather protection could be easily deployed.

As a former Royal mail bike mech ,I am glad the post are reconsidering using bikes again, it was a very foolhardy decision to withdraw cycles from delivery, BUT it might be a struggle to get postie's out of red vans and back on bikes, I know the nature of the beasts ,I was one once!

 

[Fordulike]

As a former Royal mail bike mech ,I am glad the post are reconsidering using bikes again, it was a very foolhardy decision to withdraw cycles from delivery, BUT it might be a struggle to get postie's out of red vans and back on bikes, I know the nature of the beasts ,I was one once!

My only concern, for the postie at least, would be the bikes getting nicked. Did posties use any anti theft methods to protect the bikes on their rounds, or did they rely on hoping it wouldn't get pinched?

 

[grldtnr]

My only concern, for the postie at least, would be the bikes getting nicked. Did posties use any anti theft methods to protect the bikes on their rounds, or did they rely on hoping it wouldn't get pinched?

There is always that risk, postie bikes had a AXA bike lock on the rear wheel, and yes theft sometimes happened, bit for the most part it was not a problem, those bikes were very heavy, so someone running off with one was not common .
Someone riding off on one ,if unlocked was the main reason.

 

[flecc]

The e-trikes in limited circumstances might be ok, it's afar better idea than their proposal to buy 16,000 e-bikes some while ago. Fortunately they woke up in time and cancelled that.

As grldtnr wil know, what they carry has changed dramatically in recent years with online shopping. Where once they had a bag of light letters, today it's often many bulky or heavy packages and magazines, making bicycles of any sort inadequate for a whole round.

I think what they chose to use, double crewed vans and in high density areas, trolleys, made good sense, especially since they closed many smaller local sorting offices. Ours is so far away now and with steep hills en route, an e-bike would arrive at the start with a battery already almost flat, not to mention an exhausted postie! Similar could happen with e-trikes of course.
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[tommie]

If I was designing a pedelec for the post office I would design this:

btw how does your design there go round corners?

 

[flecc]

btw how does your design there go round corners?

Its frame is pivoted just behind the box. Many of the continental e-trikes are like that. A few have narrower boxes with the front wheels steering in Ackermann manner.
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[tommie]

I`m imagining that box filled to the brim with kilos of ebay and amazon tat, having to push-pull the handlebars at every corner, wouldn`t it be better to have all that weight at the back on two wheels and steer in the normal way, one front wheel?

 

[flecc]

I`m imagining that box filled to the brim with kilos of ebay and amazon tat, having to push-pull the handlebars at every corner, wouldn`t it be better to have all that weight at the back on two wheels and steer in the normal way, one front wheel?

I agree, this pattern of trike with centre pivoting isn't very stable at speed. But the Dutch and Danes like them this way since they carry their little kids in the box so they are able to keep an eye on them in front. The front and rear straps are there to harness them in and they typically ride quite slowly anyway.

I'd also prefer a conventional trike layout for load carrying, but these tadpole ones do work ok at low speeds for that purpose. There's a cycle courier company at York who use various trikes and quads and one of theirs is this tadpole type used for quite heavy loads. They do say the steering can get "interesting".
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[anotherkiwi]

Most cargo trikes have steering dampers and often an option for an extra one. The local bike taxi guy has a trike like your post office are testing and he can't go over 25 km/h without getting himself and his clients scared. He also can't go up or come down most hills around here...

Post packages involve more volume than weight - the reason being it is more economical to use other shipping methods for heavy stuff (check your PO tarifs for packages by weight). All my heavy amazon stuff comes buy transporter not the post.

You really want two wheels in front with brakes that work rather than front and rear brakes, the risk of blocking a rear wheel and bad things happening will also keep the speed of a delta trike down.