BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Tern is teaming up with Dutch-X to deliver goods to retail customers in New York.
New York-based delivery service provider Dutch-X has recently acquired a fleet of Tern electric cargo bikes to help make greener and more efficient deliveries.
Dutch-X makes more than three million deliveries per year and has paired Tern’s electric cargo bikes with an existing fleet of Carla Cargo trailers, which carry up to 150kg.
“A lot of our customers are asking for logistics solutions that are cleaner, greener, and more sustainable,” said Dutch-X co-founder Marcus Hoed. “For example, about 40% of RFP requirements were related to sustainability. We are really happy to see our customer’s priorities shifting in this direction.”
But Hoed emphasised that just being green is ‘not enough’; any solution also has to make business sense. “Whether it’s initial capital expenditure, deliveries/hour, maintenance/month, or even insurance, electric cargo bikes have proven themselves in a dense city like New York,” stated Hoed.
Delivery cargo bikes and trailers have received special permission from New York City to park in commercial loading zones. This reduces the number of delivery vans double-parking and clogging the city’s narrow streets.
While clients pushed for more environmentally-friendly deliveries, safety concerns pushed Dutch-X to upgrade its fleet with Tern cargo bikes equipped with Bosch motors and batteries. “We worked with the New York City Fire Department and they advised us to choose systems that have undergone UL testing and certification,” said Hoed.
“A lot of bad batteries are coming into the US, and we’ve now shifted to using UL-certified batteries exclusively. Manufacturers keep pushing component prices down, and that often means sacrificing quality and safety.”
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