Grocer Co-op launches online delivery service using electric cargo bikes

Grocer Co-op has launched a new online delivery service using electric cargo bikes to transport goods from local stores to consumers within two hours.

It is the first time Co-op has offered online delivery, and it opted for the power-assisted bikes as they are zero-emission.

The online service is initially available to shoppers within 4km of the Co-op store on Kings Road in Chelsea, before being rolled out across London.

Operator e-cargobikes.com claims that, using a hub-based over a defined radius model, one of its bikes can deliver the same amount as a conventional 3.5-tonne diesel van over an eight-hour shift while using a fraction of the energy.

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Chris Conway, head of food digital at the Co-op, said: “This is an exciting time for the Co-op. As the leaders in convenience shopping, we want to look at different ways of bringing our award-winning products closer to shoppers, and this new service with e-cargobikes.com does exactly that.”

James FitzGerald, MD of e-cargobikes.com, said: “We are reimagining grocery deliveries and exploring a more sustainable transport system - our e-cargobikes are able to deliver the same amount as a diesel-van over a shift but require only 0.5% of the energy.”

With a carrying capacity of 125 kg/470 litres, a single e-cargobike can deliver 96% of grocery orders and the remaining 4% of orders, typically bulkier items, can be carried by two e-cargobikes delivering in tandem.