The next time you buy from the MotorbikeWriter online gear shop, your purchase could arrive by a Swiss-made Kyburz electric trike rather than a traditional Postie bike.
An increasing trend in online shopping has led to an explosion of parcel deliveries that have become more and more difficult to carry on a two-wheeler.
The new electric trike has a top speed of 45km/h and can carry up to 100 small parcels and 1200 letters at a time, three times more than the old Postie bike.
Australia Post has now ordered 1000 electric delivery vehicles (eDVs) after a successful two-month trial of three trikes in Brisbane last year.
They start arriving in June in all states and could eventually replace the traditional Postie bike.
That’s good news for lovers of the little Honda as there could be a lot hitting the market later this year at bargain prices.
However, it may eventually lead to a scarcity of the popular machines.
Electric trike
Australia Post Group Chief Operating Officer Bob Black says the 1000 eDVs will become the nation’s largest electric vehicle fleet.
“With parcel volumes growing – on average, close to 10% each year for the last three years – and letter volumes declining, we’re always looking for ways to ensure our posties continue to play an important and sustainable role in the community,” he says.
“These vehicles offer additional carrying capacity, so our posties can deliver more parcels than ever before directly to the customer’s door – and can perform additional functions, such as collecting mail from street posting boxes.”
‘Safer and greener’
Along with delivery benefits, Bob reckons the electric vehicles also have safety and environmental benefits.
“The eDVs are safer than the traditional motorcycle. They are easier to see on the road, more stable, have increased rider protection and lower on-road speeds, all of which reduce a postie’s exposure to incidents and serious accidents,” he says.
“We started trialling eDVs in 2017 and we’ve since deployed them in all states. We have worked closely with our posties to make improvements along the way.
“Our posties love the eDVs because they demonstrate our commitment to providing safer and more sustainable employment into the future, given consumers are sending fewer letters and relying more and more on their postie to deliver their parcels.
“They will also help us achieve our commitment of reducing our carbon emissions by 25% by 2020.”
(Shame that most of them will be powered by electricity from coal-fired power stations!)
Australia Post will also roll out an additional 4000 electric pushbikes, bringing its total to 5980 over the next three years.
Kyburz tech specs
| Maximum speed | 45km/h |
| Range | up to 100km |
| Electricity costs | CHF 0.82 / 100km |
| Charging time | 7 – 10 hours |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 265/96/179cm |