Today everyone wants to go electric, including the United States Postal Service (USPS). Corresponding electrthe USPS is busy testing some nifty little electric e-bikes or tricycles for a new mail delivery platform.
Fun fact, the USPS requires mail carriers to turn off their vehicle every time they get off and then restart it to drive to the next house, mailbox, or location. It’s expensive and bad for the environment.
Instead of driving gas-guzzling trucks and vans through every single city in the United States, it looks like the company is testing a new electric bike platform built to haul heavy loads of cargo. These are more of a tricycle than a bike, but they function in a similar way.
The electric cargo tricycles are manufactured by Montana-based US company Coaster Cycles, and each can haul mail, junk mail and small packages worth over £400. The company proclaims the e-bike platform as a capable and customizable commercial-grade bike.
Each carrier provides almost 72 cubic feet of space for mail and packages, securely stored in the locked enclosure. The trikes are powered by an upgraded Bosch Cargo e-bike system, mid-drive motors and a large 500Wh battery pack that delivers 85Nm of torque to the tricycle for mail delivery.
The bikes come equipped with hydraulic disc brakes, not to mention fully working headlights and taillights, and even a reversing camera for improved navigation and visibility.
Last year, the USPS ordered 50,000 new mail vehicles, but only about 10,000 are electric. As a result, it has received a lot of backlash over the move. While testing these new cargo e-bikes is certainly a step in a different direction, they’ll only be operational in small towns, but at least it’s a start.
via electr
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