The sleek four-wheeled carts look familiar enough, but not even UPS knows exactly how to describe what could be the giant’s latest form of package delivery to your door.
UPS on Tuesday introduced a battery-powered four-wheel drive cycle to move cargo more efficiently on some of the world’s most congested streets and reduce its carbon footprint. The company is trying to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
“@UPS eBikes hit the streets of Manhattan testing the pilot program for deliveries with UPS @fernhay eQuad,” the company wrote in a social media post.
“It’s an electric cargo bike that enables more #sustainable deliveries in urban areas. Full circle for a 100+ year old company that started out as a bike courier service,” the message continues.
Read all about it! 🗞 @UPS eBikes hit streets of Manhattan testing pilot program for deliveries w/ UPS @fernhay eQuad. It’s an electric cargo bike allowing for more #sustainable deliveries in urban areas. Full circle for 100+ yr company that started as a bike messenger service.🚲 pic.twitter.com/HLRd8Cbg5g
— UPS Public Affairs (@UPSPolicy) June 14, 2022
The stylish vehicles bear the company’s gold logo and accompanying stripe on a dark brown background. But the “eQuad,” as the company calls it, aroused the curiosity of passersby.
Ian Lagowitz had never seen one and went over to see it.
“It’s funny looking,” he said, “but it’s probably good for the city, right?”
Mohammad Islam called the vehicle a “cool thing” and wished the program a good one.
“The big trucks always block traffic,” he said, “so if they do this kind of thing, it’s 10 times better for everyone.”
The pedal-powered vehicle was smaller than one of the company’s more traditional delivery trucks, which rumble through traffic and sometimes draw the ire of motorists trying to weave around trucks parked on narrow streets.
Delivery companies have tried all kinds of ways to deliver packages, from traditional vans to drones. The company now has a fleet of more than 1,000 electric vehicles and thousands more that do not run on traditional gasoline engines.
UPS said a trial is focused on New York City and several cities in Europe.
“New York is a complicated city, considering density,” said Nicole Pilet, director of industrial engineering for UPS. “So if we can be successful here in the city, then we can see how we implement it in other cities in the United States.”
The company had its beginnings in Seattle more than a century ago and the first deliveries were made on foot or by bicycle. As the company grew, so did its motorized fleet.
“This fits me like a glove,” said Dyghton Anderson, a 22-year-old UPS delivery driver and avid cyclist who is helping pilot the program. “I bike to and from work – from the Bronx to here on 43rd – so it’s pretty comfortable for me.”
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