Information in English

Project title

“Ich entlaste Städte” (e.g. “Taking the load off cities”) – The German cargo cycle testing scheme for commercial and public users

Subject

Cities have to deal with high levels of traffic, which is partly due to an increase in delivery transport. These high levels of traffic result in emissions and congested streets, putting strain on both the environment and public health. Additionally, these transport-related problems have a negative impact on the livability of cities. As a consequence, a lot of cities are desperately trying to find more sustainable ways to organize their traffic. One promising approach is the introduction of electric cargo cycles into urban logistics.

Project

Despite their potential, cargo cycles are to date rarely used for urban logistics or service trips. Therefore, the project “Ich entlaste Städte” provides private companies and public organizations across Germany with the opportunity to test a cargo cycle for a few months at very low cost. Our portfolio includes 17 different cargo cycle models that offer solutions for a broad variety of transport purposes.

In addition to the testing scheme, the project initiates a campaign advertising the use of cargo cycles in order to reach a great number of fleet decision-makers.

The project and the accompanying research are being carried out by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Transport Research. Participating companies will fill out several longitudinal questionnaires as well as record GPS tracks of their cargo cycle trips and answer trip-related questions with a smartphone app programmed specifically for the project purpose. Based on these data, researchers will gain unique insight into user acceptance of cargo cycles in heterogeneous business contexts, fleet decision-making and the vehicles’ impact on transport, emissions and cost.

Approach

“Ich entlaste Städte” is scheduled to run for three years. After preparing the testing scheme, 150 cargo cycles have been made available, starting in September 2017. Private companies, public authorities, associations and non-governmental organizations are all invited to apply for testing a cargo cycle for approximately three months. The testing scheme will be in operation for two years, aiming at providing 500-1000 businesses and organizations with a cargo bike.

Contracting entity

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety in the context of the National Climate Protection Initiative.

Project duration

January 2017 to December 2019

Contact

Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
German Aerospace Center
Institute of Transport Research
Rutherfordstrasse 2
12489 Berlin
Germany

You can reach project manager Johannes Gruber via Email
or Telephone (+49 30 67055-200).