Amazon Launches eCargo Bike Delivery in Strict, Congested Central London

At a time of record fuel prices and rising restrictions on commercial deliveries into congested urban areas, Amazon U.K. is adding a fleet of pedal-assisted e-cargo bikes as part of plan to make 5 million deliveries annually into central London.

In a blog post announcing the launch of the latest tool within its “micro mobility hub” strategy, Amazon said it is looking to scale the program nationally, via a combined mix of bikes, walkers and fully electric vans in response to a number of current challenges and long-term company goals.

“E-cargo bikes directly replace thousands of traditional van trips on London’s roads and reduce traffic congestion,” Amazon U.K. Country Manager John Boumphrey posted on his LinkedIn page Sunday July 3, noting that the bikes would help the company make significant progress towards its plan to delivery half its shipments via zero-emission methods by 2030.

Taken together, Boumphrey said, the new e-cargo bikes would help the company “make more zero emission customer deliveries than ever before across London and the UK.”

Next Steps

Amazon said it is micro-mobility hub strategy will directly replace millions of traditional van trips each year while also taking thousands of traditional gas-powered vans off the road across the country, where it already delivers 45 million packages via some form of alternative, eco-friendly fashion.

Although no specific details were provided, the company said it planned to launch more e-cargo hubs across the country in the coming months and would be making a major additional investment in solar energy needed to charge its growing and varied fleet of electric vehicles.

At the same time, as consumers expect, and governments demand, more sustainable service from the ecommerce leader, the company also noted that it has begun to go electric in other parts of its transportation network, including the launch of its first-ever fully electric heavy trucks in the U.K. in March.

“We’re really pleased to have worked with Amazon to support them to take traditional vans off the streets and replace them with e-cargo bikes,” local councilor Mete Coban said, pointing to the benefits of improved urban air quality and less congestion on city streets.

Final Mile Alternatives

To be sure, Amazon’s e-cargo bikes are not the only response retailers are taking in the face of record fuel prices, major supply chain challenges that are making it more difficult and costly to complete the final mile of delivery in increasingly small time frames.

For example, Walmart announced in May that it was expanding its drone delivery service to 4 million households in six states.

“While we initially thought customers would use the service for emergency items, we’re finding they use it for its sheer convenience, like a quick fix for a weeknight meal,” Walmart U.S. Senior Vice President of Innovation and Automation David Guggina said in May of the expanded drone announcement, pointing to purchases of last-minute meal prep items such as Hamburger Helper as being among the most common types of drone-delivered purchases being made.