Electric trucks want to drive out courier deliveries. They will have a depot in the center of Prague
It’s a place you don’t want to be. In fact, this is a place you don’t even want to walk around – the parking space inside the tram loop under the Florence highway is changing. It will be new microdepo, from where couriers of logistics companies will set off in the center of Prague on electric trucks to deliver goods that people have ordered in e-shops. And it is clear that there will be even more deliveries this year.
“According to the information I have from logistics companies, this year’s pre-Christmas covid period can be up to 250 percent stronger compared to previous years,” says Jakub Ditrich, owner of ekolo.cz, which organizes the depot. In practice, it is only in the wider center of Prague that there are several thousand shipments per day.
Establishment of a depot, which will operate in a pilot program from November 9, in the summer also represents the Prague City Hall. Politicians promise from the project that when part of the deliveries is replaced by electric e-bikes, the center of Prague will calm down in traffic. From a long-term point of view, however, the model of Bratislava is also at stake.
In Slovakia, in the past, car capitals have drastically reduced the possibility of entering the historic center. In addition, the municipality grants the permit only exceptionally, for four thousand euros. For example, Alza has been using truck e-bikes not only in this locality since 2018. After the success in Bratislava last year, it started delivering in Prague as well.
“Now we serve Prague 1, 2, 3 and Prague 5. This is where cargo bikes often outperform normal traffic at speed, thanks to the fact that the truck moves more easily in traffic jams and can drive to places with restrictions for cars. Therefore, we are also considering other locations where we could start using bicycle couriers. The plan is Prague 9, 4, 6 and gradually more, “says Lukáš Baudyš, director of logistics at Alza, which uses five e-bikes for distribution in the Czech capital, including couriers delivering around 120 consignments a day.
However, Alza does not currently count on joining the cycling club in Těšnov. Even so, it should be sufficiently busy. “We have an agreement to join DHL, DPD, GLS, Dachser, Messenger, PPL in the project, and Rohlík.cz will also deliver the food in this way. By the time the depot starts, there should be at least 10 to 15 laps in it. The number should then gradually increase, “plans Jakub Ditrich, according to which 40 to 80 shipments can fit on one cargo e-bike, depending on the specific type.
Relatively large wheels can in some cases transport goods weighing over 300 kilograms on two classic pallets. Even large objects, such as a washing machine, are not a problem. In general, however, the delivery of smaller consignments is envisaged. However, the disadvantage of truck e-bikes is their relatively high price, which is around 150 thousand crowns for quality machines.
The delivery system will be such that individual logistics companies will deliver consignments from their central transhipment depots to the cycle depot, from where they will be transported around the center by couriers on truck wheels.
“Couriers will already have packages, for example, according to their address, to go one route, for example to Karlín, the other to Nové Město, the third to Smíchov. In this way, they can circulate around the city all day and, in addition to delivery, they will also pick up consignments, ”describes Jakub Ditrich, a transport system without local emissions.
The pilot program will last half a year. Ditrich calculates that the depot in the center of Prague will be expanded in the course of six months. When the pilot program ends, the management of Prague will decide whether it does not want to turn the site into Florence again, and logistics companies will decide if they want to pay a contribution to the operation of the depot and pay for bicycle couriers.
If the project were actually stopped in the end, it should not bring a significant financial loss to Prague. “We have conceived the whole thing as a pop-up so far. All equipment, which is mainly residential and storage containers, will be leased for the time being. The main financial loss will be only a loss of money, which would otherwise be collected on the spot for parking, “added Ditrich.