IKEA has recently added another tactic to become “climate positive” by 2030: using cargo e-bikes as part of their home delivery fleet.
The brand has partnered with SunRider to use their solar-powered cargo bikes. A store in Delft, The Netherlands, piloted the program for using SunRider bikes to deliver products to customers within the city center surrounding the store. After a successful pilot, Inter IKEA Systems B.V. (the global IKEA franchisor) is scaling up and giving all IKEA retailers worldwide the possibility to add these bikes to their home delivery fleets.
Helene Davidsson, Sustainability Manager of Inter IKEA Systems B.V., said “This SunRider bike can accommodate roughly 90 per cent of the IKEA product range and emits 98 per cent less CO2 than modern diesel vans. For IKEA, it’s important to explore new ways to improve the service offer for the customers, both from a more sustainable, affordable and accessible perspective. The solar-powered cargo bike does all that.”
The SunRider contains a 1.6 kWh lithium-ion battery that charges via integrated 545 Wp solar PV panels. The rear cargo compartment can fit one standard EU pallet and carry up to 150 kg (330 lbs). The onboard solar panels can fully charge the bike, so the range of 100 km (62 miles) could conceivably be doubled and would mean that delivery drivers aren’t stranded in areas with weak power grids.
A couple of years ago, IKEA pledged to become climate positive by 2030, which means reducing more greenhouse gas emissions than the brand’s value chain emits, while still growing its business.
This plan includes using 100% renewable electricity across the company’s value chain. We saw this earlier this year when IKEA partnered with Electrify America to offer charging stations at various stores in the U.S. for customers, employees, and delivery vehicles (after the brand started using electrified delivery trucks). In addition, 90% of IKEA stores have rooftop solar arrays as of 2021, and one store even has a solar car park.
SOURCE | IMAGES: CLEANTECHNICA
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