This Heavy Duty E-Cargo Bike Has 2 Cubic Meters Of Payload Space & Can Haul 800+ Pounds – CleanTechnica

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Electric cargo bikes are evolving and improving rapidly these days, especially on the commercial and fleet side of things, where increased payload volume and carrying capacity are key, as well as stability, safety, and dependability for daily use. Many of these new ‘professional’ e-cargo bike platforms are coming out of Europe right now, such as Cologne, Germany’s 4-wheeled AN.T. CARGO:4, which sports some impressive specs.

There’s a world of difference between one of today’s consumer e-cargo bikes, which are great for hauling groceries or gear or kids around town, and a commercial-grade e-cargo bike that can haul hundreds of pounds of cargo day in and day out. It seems like we either need to have a better term for those ‘professional’ logistics machines (cycle trucks or cycle vans maybe?), or rename all of the consumer versions from e-cargo bikes to ‘utility’ e-bikes, just so we don’t lump them all in together. Semantics, amirite?

In any case, the heavy duty CARGO:4 from AN.T. GmbH is not very creatively named, but it is a rugged little vehicle that is sized to fit a Euro pallet in its two cubic meters of payload space, while its cargo capacity is more than 800 pounds (380 kg). To be able to handle the demands of continuous commercial use, many of the components on the CARGO:4 are not standard bicycle components, with the “durable and low-wear components” such as the wheels, brakes, and chain coming from the scooter industry, and the axles from the auto industry.

The CARGO:4 can be configured in different ways, such as having an enclosed cargo box on the rear or being capable of swapping out cargo boxes on the fly or having a flatbed in the rear, etc., with or without weather protection for the driver, and with either a mid-motor or hub motor, both employing a Pinion transmission. Having a neutral and reverse gear on a heavy duty e-cargo bike is a must in most use cases, as is an emergency brake, which the CARGO:4 does.

Aside from all of the consumer-focused last-mile delivery applications where the CARGO:4 could be employed, this e-cargo platform also looks to be an excellent fit for campus-based businesses and locations such as factories, where getting products, parts, and equipment to where they’re needed indoor or out is a constant demand. There are no noxious emissions or noise, so the CARGO:4 can pretty much go anywhere it will fit, making them a good option for maintenance or cleaning services, for the handyman and building trades, in and around airports and warehouses and mailrooms, etc., and I expect we’ll be seeing a lot more of these types of commercial-grade e-cargo bikes in action all over the place in coming years.

The CARGO:4, which was developed on behalf of the ZEG Group, isn’t the first e-cargo bike to come out of b&p engineering mobility GmbH, as there is the 3-wheeled AN.T. CARGO:3 (below) that has a unique pivot/steering setup, and the INVELO:4, which also has its own website. It might be worth paying attention to what b&p is working on in e-bike engineering and development as we move ever closer to cleaner greener transport and logistics solutions.