The government has today announced a £2m funding pot to support the uptake of eCargo bikes in the UK.
Announced at Birmingham’s Zero Emission Vehicle Summit, the funding is to “help pave the way for nimble electric delivery vehicles to replace older, polluting vans – helping to improve the environment and reduce congestion.”
Jesse Norman, Minister for Low Emission Vehicles, said: “Support for e-cargo bikes will help to ensure that Britain leads the way in the development and deployment of the technologies of the future.
“Encouraging electric delivery bikes on to our city streets will cut traffic and improve air quality, and will show how these vehicles have the potential to play an important role in the zero emission future of this country.”
Today’s announcement is cited as an early response to their “last mile” consultation on delivering goods more sustainably in our towns and cities.
A DfT Innovation Challenge Fund enabled Sainsbury’s to trial e-Cargo deliveries earlier this year. The government has today announced that: “The trials exceeded expectations in its potential commercial viability and efficiency, which showed that 96.7% of orders could be fulfilled in a single e-cargo bike drop.”