Peabody adds Northgate electric cargo bike to fleet to cut emissions and travel time

The cost is roughly half that of the smaller diesel vans Peabody currently uses in London, which emit nearly two tonnes of carbon each a year.

If the trial is successful, the estate services team will add more bikes in other neighbourhoods.

Northgate has supplied the bike to Peabody on a four-year long-term hire contract, which includes battery charging.

The electric cargo bike will halve the time it takes caretakers to travel between homes in the Earls Court area of West London, giving them more time to keep residents’ communal areas clean and tidy.

The bike can travel about 25 miles on one charge. It can use bus lanes, so will reduce the time caretakers spend waiting in traffic and will be easier to park, particularly when traveling between homes on West Cromwell Road, Earls Court Road and Fulham Road, which are on red routes where parking is very limited.

Eugene Brown, Peabody’s head of estate services for Northwest London, said: “There are lots of benefits to having a micromobility vehicle like this on our fleet.”

“It is kinder to the environment than our traditional vehicles and will make it much easier for caretakers to move between estates with their equipment.

“By using bus lanes, it can avoid traffic jams and parking will be much easier as caretakers can park it in communal paved and garden areas while they service sites.”

Switching its fleet to electric vehicles is one of the pledges of Peabody’s Sustainability Strategy and while vehicle emissions account for only a small part of the group’s overall carbon footprint, every small change helps.

Peabody has three electric vehicles on its fleet and is in the process of installing more chargers so caretakers and other colleagues who travel around London can switch to electric vehicles.

Melanie Creedy, Northgate EV business development manager, said: “Since we launched our electric micromobility proposition in 2024 we have had many fleets like Peabody trial the different types of vehicles that we have on offer.

“Feedback has been very positive as electric cargo bikes offer numerous benefits over standard vans in urban areas like London where manoeuvrability, restricted parking and emission reduction are big considerations for operators.

“We look forward to supporting Peabody as it continues to grow its electric fleet.”

Pictured from left are Eugene Brown, Peabody’s head of estate services, area 2, north-west London region; Diego Saavedra Ospina, Peabody’s caretaker and rider of the cargo bike; and Hayley Butcher, Northgate’s key account manager for Peabody Trust.