UPS in PDX

[freebeard]

Just A Car Guy: Portland is trying a pilot program to see about electric scooters used for delivery... no doubt to bring down the additional emissions from Amazon and app deliveries

In partnership with PSU and the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, the initiative will deploy one electric-assisted cargo trike for a year. According to PSU officials at this morning’s event, UPS currently has two dedicated trucks that deliver packages within the university district. The intention of this new effort is to see if they can replace one of those trucks with an electric trike. UPS has launched similar pilot programs in recent years in Pittsburgh and Seattle and currently operates an e-bike deliver program in several cities around the globe including Paris, Berlin, London, Dublin, Rome, and others.

Pilot program has a single vehicle. Compare with Arcimoto Deliverator.

[ldjessee00]

Looks like it holds more, goes slower (not an issue on a university campus), but the trike vs reverse trike is a safety concern, especially since it will be on roadways...

The UPS trike also looks wider and will take up more space, so using bike lanes, bike paths and multipurpose paths might not be as easy as it would for an Arcimoto Deliverator.

At least they are trying? I think the easy slide off and on are important design issues for this to make it feasible for UPS. Not sure even if they Deliverator had a easily swappable box if it would make sense, due to the much smaller capacity...

[freebeard]

The comparison was an afterthought.

I thought it was interesting that the cargo trailer has four modules. For one trike. It would enable 4x the capacity at the one location.

I've suggested to Arcimoto a four wheel drive, four wheel steering [autonomous] Deliverator. Like the Dannar 400. They're too busy right now.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by ldjessee00

The UPS trike also looks wider and will take up more space, so using bike lanes, bike paths and multipurpose paths might not be as easy as it would for an Arcimoto Deliverator.
..

I used to do USPS deliveries to all the dorms on our campus at the University of Montana and we just drove the giant 2ton box van down all the bike lanes and sidewalks. I always thought it was hilarious. Get your bike out of my postal road!

[teoman]

Why is the e-bike rider specifically a female?

[redpoint5]

... in partnership with PSU explains everything. It doesn't bother me that they assigned a gender to the job, but I do wonder why they went out of their way to make it more awkward to read.

I've been using non-gendered pronouns to refer to generic people when speaking generically for as long as I can remember.

Now it will be weird if they hire a man because there is only 1 vehicle.

Interesting concept, but it seems to increase human labor (more trips to reload cargo), not decrease it. Costs go up with increasing labor. Always like to see new ideas and experiments though. Hopefully they accurately document their findings.

[freebeard]

Why is the e-bike rider specifically a female?

Long story short: PDX

Here's a story about a traditional feminine role. AIER:Let’s Talk about Ghastly Dishwashers. It's my thread and I'll wander if I want to.

[Hersbird]

I like the pedals that will never be used.

I don't know what kind of volume PSU gets for packages but from what I know about the UofM parcel volume, that container will work for a single dorm building then need reloaded. Why just not take the big truck from building to building?

[Fat Charlie]

Because a college campus is a small, safe, high profile place to work the kinks out of the system and learn how to properly use it. Worst case, you get kudos for trying. Best case, there are lots of places where the big brown truck isn't the most appropriate method.

[ldjessee00]

And some places, I know it is not common, will actually ticket the trucks when they double park or park in places they shouldn't be.

If it works out, but they need to get the packages out faster, then getting another person or three on more eBikes is pretty easily scale.

Also something to remember, some cities are going ICE free in the not distant future. A big truck with a big EV battery is expensive.

Four ebikes, even if $10k each, still less than $100,000 EV delivery van (see Amazon order to Rivian).