The city of Ghent in Belgium will be running two pilot projects aimed at reducing emissions in the central part of the city. The city states that 7,000 tonnes of goods are brought into Ghent’s central area each week via 40,000 van and truck trips.
“Logistical traffic has a major impact on the quality of life in our city,” said Tine Heyse, Ghent’s Alderman for the Environment and Climate. “By switching to sustainable alternatives, we are taking an important step towards a healthy urban environment.”
Companies delivering goods in central Ghent are being invited to participate in either project:
- companies, sole traders or non-profit organizations can try out an emission-free delivery vehicle for a week free of charge. They will also receive “advice and customized logistics services”. They can choose between an electric truck, box truck, refrigerated truck or van, a light electric freight vehicle or a cargo e-bike, with testing possible from 23 September to 13 December 2024; or
- delivery companies can choose to receive €6,000 (~US$6,500) in funding for using last-mile delivery providers – logistics firms that bundle deliveries and transport goods from the edge of the city to the city center.
EIT InnoEnergy released a report earlier this year which claimed that the use of mixed electric fleets of e-cargo bikes and e-vans could save urban logistics firms up to €554 million (US$541 million) annually by the year 2030. Switching to electric vehicles could also reduce last-mile logistics emissions by up to 80%.
“By 2030, we want city logistics to be as emission-free as possible, but entrepreneurs are not alone. We give them time to prepare, and we offer support. In this way, we want to motivate them to take the step towards sustainable logistics,” said Sofie Bracke, Ghent’s Alderman for the Economy.