Faster, More Efficient, Cost Effective, Practical? – A No-Brainer?

New research from the Active Travel Academy of the University of Westminster shows that electric cargo bikes can drop as many as 10 parcels an hour as against an average of six by electric or diesel van. You don’t need to be a knit-your-own-hemp-sandals-wearing environmentalist to want an e-cargo-bike these days!

The research, published in the Guardian, also showed that in congested urban environments, electric cargo bikes are about 60% faster. Yes, on a flat open road a van can travel at 60mph between towns and villages, but you don’t find too many gin-clear roads in a city centre these days do you? E-cargo-bikes fly through traffic, and are allowed to use cycle lanes too. That’s why they can do more frequent drops.

Yes, the research also shows that the same machines monitored by GPS in major urban centres around the UK saved as much as 90% carbon emissions on vans. Your ‘green credentials’ will benefit too!

Free Money?!

Did you know that the government is offering to cover up to 40% of the capital cost towards your company buying e-cargo-bikes? The eCargo Bike Grant Fund offers up to £2,500 off a two wheeler or £4,500 off a three-wheeler eCargo-bike.

You can buy up to five bikes per organisation using this money. That could be up to £22,500 savings, or the equivalent of buying a decent van. You could grow your fleet quickly and out-compete your diesel van competitors in terms of speed and reliability while making whopping savings on your capital costs.

E-Bikes Direct & Electric Cargo Bikes

Here at E-Bikes-Direct we have long had a policy of selling quality machines. The fact that we have grown to become the biggest independent e-bike retailer in the UK suggests that our customers love what we have to offer. Let’s have a look at two of the eCargo bikes we have on offer.

The Raleigh Pro Bike mid motor electric cargo bike has a cargo capacity of 80kg, or roughly 80 parcels, which according to the research above amounts to a full day-shift for a rider.

Its 400Wh battery will realistically give them a 35 mile range. Blasting around within the North and South Circular this is ample range, especially where there is a dense number of drops in the City for example. Getting around a smaller city like Brighton or Southampton you wouldn’t be out of battery on a charge either. With the government grant you could save £1,980 on the list price too!

Fancy a little more stability? We also offer a three-wheeler eCargo-bike, or eCargo Trike if you will. Check out the AMCargoBikes Deluxe Tadpole that has a cargo capacity of up to 70kg (based on an 80kg rider) and a range of up to 25 miles per charge. If you’re a small to medium business delivering goods out of your bread-winning shop, it’s 9Ah battery makes this Tadpole Cargo Trike a great shout.. You might be reading this thinking ‘this would be great for school runs’, then you’d be right! It’s safety belts and cabin seats make it the perfect family wagon replacement!

The Danish makers of this e-cargo-bike have a sound pedigree, and considering Denmark are a light year ahead of the UK in terms of cycle use, you can be assured that this is a reliable piece of kit made by a company that has grown to exporting thanks to its domestic success. With the government grant you could save nearly £800 per machine and on a fleet of five that’s a lovely £4,000 saving!

Other Savings – Diesel, Insurance, MOT & Maintenance

As well as being faster and the capital costs being lower, have you thought of the operational costs of running an e-cargo-bike? Yes, your riders won’t be too happy with you should you not insure them while on the road, but this will be hundreds of pounds a year cheaper than insuring a van. There’s no MOT or road tax to be paid on them, and with fewer moving parts you’ll pay a sight less on keeping it legal and safe. How much does a tank of diesel cost these days? How much does a van tyre cost as against a bike tyre? That’s just to start with!

In a Harvard University Master’s Degree thesis, the author showed, “The baseline scenario, using best estimates for independent and derived variables, showed that eCcargo-bikes are on average 3.1 times more profitable than diesel vans.”

It’s not all business… The broad ‘eCargo’ term might limit your expectations in terms of options for leisure fucused models… Fear not, the AMCargo Tapole isn’t the only option for an economic family run-around… We’ve just launched Raleigh’s NEW Stride 2 Family Electric Cargo Bike on our site! Powered by the renown Bosch Performance CX crank motor & whopping 500Wh battery, the Stride 2 features space for two little’ns with safety belts, a foam padded cargo tub with side handles and of course, the superb Raleigh build quality for your peace of mind. You may not be eligable for the same grants and benefits as a small business, but what you lack in discount will be more than made up for once you’ve cancelled your car insurance & next month’s MOT…

What Are You Waiting For?

With research, grant funding and economics screaming at you to buy an eCargo-bike, what’s stopping you? Your riders getting a bit wet in winter? They’ll soon warm up with a bit of riding and their health will improve considerably! The excuses are running paper-thin to keep a fleet of delivery vans. Our range is sure to grow, so watch this space…Contact us at E-Bikes-Direct to discuss your needs!