RIPPL #48: KoMoDo cooperative micro depot opens in Berlin

A new depot for last-mile deliveries has begun operating in central Berlin, where around 800,000 people live within a 5km radius. The pilot project, dubbed ‘KoMoDo’, involves several different logistics operators working under one roof. Each logistics operator has access to a 14m² transshipment container within the facility and overall management is by BEHALA – a neutral provider. Packages are delivered to the hub by conventional trucks, then distributed by bike in busy city centre streets.

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RIPPL #47: The (heavy-duty) Elefant in the room

At the International Cargo Bike Festival in Berlin last month, it was impossible to ignore the Elephant in the room… sorry, aircraft hangar.

German cargo bike manufacturer Radkutsche brought with them a huge, eye-catching pedal-powered trailer they’re calling the Elefant. The trailer has a capacity of up to 500kg and building it has been Radkutsche’s way of exploring the trend towards larger, more heavy-duty designs in cycle logistics.

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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 #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 #33: Velove and Radkutsche: Towards Container Standardisation

When talking about innovation in cycle logistics, the term ‘containerisation’ could refer to one of two things; use of shipping containers as flexible loading space, or the use of transferable containers to move items around using pedal power. Continue reading “RIPPL #33: Velove and Radkutsche: Towards Container Standardisation”

RIPPL #13: Outspoken! Delivery – Consolidation and Containerisation

This is the second in a series of RIPPL posts about Outspoken! Delivery, a cycle logistics company based in Cambridge which uses cargo bikes and trikes to deliver a number of different services in innovative ways. The first, about how the company is beginning to use heavy duty components on their fleet of e-trikes, is available here. Outspoken is currently the biggest independent cargo bike courier company in the UK.

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