TNT Express is piloting a mobile depot in Brussels with electric tricycles (‘cyclocargos’)replacing its vans in selected districts of the city to improve the efficiency of parcel delivery
operations and service and to contribute to a better living environment.As part of a field experiment, the mobile depot will be parked in Parc du Cinquantenaire,located in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, for three months. TNT Expressvans will be substituted by the cyclocargos in the districts of Schaerbeek, Etterbeek andSaint-Josse-ten-Noode.
“This will eliminate 900 kilometres of van movements each week in an often congested area.The resulting lower CO2 emissions and noise will help improve the Brussels living environment,” TNTExpress explained.
The mobile depot, which can hold 11 containers for parcels, is a large custom-designedtrailer serving as a storage and sorting centre. Every day, it will drive from the TNT Express hubat Brucargo to the car park at Parc du Cinquantenaire where it will remain stationary. While enroute, the mobile depot has normal truck dimensions (14 x 2.5 m). When parked, the trailer isextended automatically to its full size of 14 x 6.5 m.
The depot is equipped with various facilities, subdivided into an office area and an area forloading, unloading and sorting. On one side, the mobile depot can be extended outwards with a liftproviding access to the electric cycles to load and unload parcels.
The electric cycles will be loaded at the mobile depot and carry the parcels over the ‘finalmile’ to addresses in Schaerbeek, Etterbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode to speed up deliveries toshops and offices in the busy inner-city.
