Category: EN

RIPPL #43: The joke is… there is no joke

Coolblue is a consumer electronics store based in The Netherlands and Belgium, mostly online-based, there are also 9 physical locations. Founded in 1999, the business had a turnover of €1.2 billion in 2017.

Coolblue announced last week that they were going to begin delivering packages by bike. The service, dubbed “CoolblueFietst” (Coolblue Cycles/Bikes) will begin running in Eindhoven and Den Haag (The Hague) before rolling out to all major Dutch and Belgian cities. Continue reading “RIPPL #43: The joke is… there is no joke”

RIPPL #42: Chain Reaction – Blockchain’s potential impact on cycle logistics

As one of the most hyped technologies of the past couple of years, the potential of Blockchain to dramatically transform logistics is thought by many to be huge. The Municipality of Rotterdam and Port of Rotterdam have teamed up to found BlockLab, a ‘Field Lab’ exploring applications for the technology. Continue reading “RIPPL #42: Chain Reaction – Blockchain’s potential impact on cycle logistics”

RIPPL #41: Low Impact City Logistics; Introducing the ‘Net-Neutral’ e-Trailer

Low Impact City Logistics is a collaborative project that has developed an innovative ‘net-neutral load’ electric powered trailer. To the rider, the e-trailer feels ‘weightless’; meaning high payloads can be carried with relative ease. The e-trailer can carry a payload of 200kg and also has a walking mode so that it can, if required, be de-coupled from the bike and walked, still using e-assist, closer to the loading/unloading point. Continue reading “RIPPL #41: Low Impact City Logistics; Introducing the ‘Net-Neutral’ e-Trailer”

RIPPL #40: Our Top-5 Trends and What’s Next

The RIPPL project has been running for a year now; so what better time to look back and reflect upon what we’ve discovered? We’ve picked out our top 5 most interesting trends so far.

Firstly though, our thanks go not only to you, our readers, for reading, but also to the 39 initiatives we’ve featured so far for sharing their valuable ideas and experiences with us. Later in this article we’ll also give you a taste of what is coming up for the RIPPL project. Continue reading “RIPPL #40: Our Top-5 Trends and What’s Next”

RIPPL #39: PostNL – 60 vans for 60 bikes, trikes or LEVS

The Dutch Post Office, PostNL, have begin systematically testing last-mile delivery vehicles. Naturally this includes cargo bikes, but they are also trying out Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs), such as the Stint. I met Nanette Wielenga, Bicycle Network Project Manager for PostNL, to find out more. We met at a depot on the western edge of Amsterdam at around 6pm and discussed the project as PostNL delivery riders, known Stadsbezorgers, returned from their evening rounds on various bikes, trikes and LEVs. Continue reading “RIPPL #39: PostNL – 60 vans for 60 bikes, trikes or LEVS”

RIPPL #38: Marleen Kookt – Meals on Two Wheels

Marleen Kookt is an Amsterdam-based meal delivery business founded in 2012 by Marleen Jansen and Joris Keijzer. Following a 6 month sabbatical spent in Majorca, during which Marleen experimented with various recipe ideas, they returned to Amsterdam. Finding that they did not want to return to their office jobs (both have backgrounds in large-scale retail) they started Marleen Kookt (Dutch for ‘Marleen Cooks’). Continue reading “RIPPL #38: Marleen Kookt – Meals on Two Wheels”

RIPPL #37: Vert Chez Vous – Lessons from a Parisian Boat-Bike Initiative

Paris has suffered unprecedented levels of air pollution in recent years. In response, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has declared war on the car and aims to reduce their number by half. Swathes of the city will be pedestrianised. Regular, city-wide car free days are now held. Diesel vehicles will be banned from the city by 2020, much earlier than in comparable European capitals such as London. Continue reading “RIPPL #37: Vert Chez Vous – Lessons from a Parisian Boat-Bike Initiative”

RIPPL #36: Boat-Bike: DHL’s multimodal Amsterdam logistics chain

Send a DHL package to the centre of Amsterdam and there is a good chance it will take an unconventional multimodal journey. Bikes, with their ability to navigate the last mile in the narrow, busy streets of Amsterdam’s old centre, act as the last link in an unconventional logistics chain. Continue reading “RIPPL #36: Boat-Bike: DHL’s multimodal Amsterdam logistics chain”

RIPPL #35: Keeping it clean – Hamburg street cleaners trial switch to e-trikes

Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH), the organisation responsible for keeping Hamburg clean, have begun using cargo trikes for some of their operations. Two custom-built electric cargo trikes fitted with GPS trackers have taken on work that was previously carried out by light commercial vehicles. In total SRH will pilot ten cargo cycles as part of a research project. Continue reading “RIPPL #35: Keeping it clean – Hamburg street cleaners trial switch to e-trikes”