Against the backdrop of climate change and the energy transition, diesel driving bans, but also in connection with new funding opportunities, it is worthwhile for tradespeople to look into electromobility. STEIN offers up-to-date information on subsidies and current developments in e-mobility as well as field reports from a stonemason who uses an electric cargo bike.
Heinz Blaschke from Stuttgart is a stonemason who has been working intensively with e-mobility since 2015. “I wanted to do something about air pollution, and it was also important to me to move with the times and reduce noise at work. This is particularly beneficial at the cemetery. I work there with a hybrid crane,” explains Blaschke.
This crane has been part of his vehicle fleet since July 2017 and the stonemason has been riding an electric cargo bike since March 2018. “I’ve already ridden a total of 16,000 kilometers on the bike,” he explains proudly. “Short trips within a radius of 15 kilometers are easy to do. I cycle around 24 kilometers a day.”
Craftsmen used to transport tools and materials on the Long John, a transport bike with a lowered loading area between the handlebars and front wheel. The baker’s boy, for example, used to deliver bread rolls on a bicycle with a box mounted over the front wheel. But in the 1960s, cars replaced cargo bikes.
Thanks to an electric motor, the cargo bike has been experiencing a renaissance for some years now. With assistance, a 100 kilo load can be carried comfortably through the city. And while around two dozen companies in Europe were still producing cargo bikes five years ago, there are now around twice as many, according to zeit online.
There are different types of e-cargo bikes, on two, three or even four wheels, as rear or front loaders or as a hybrid. The Zukunftsinstitut, which deals with trends and future research, also confirms: “In the coming years, a large number of parallel mobility concepts for short distances will become established. The new love of the bicycle is the driving and determining force here.”
Heinz Blaschke’s e-cargo bike is also a Long John: “It rides almost like a normal bike, but with a lower center of gravity for the load. Riding it is a matter of practice, I started with little weight and got into the routine,” recalls Blaschke and continues: “I test rode the bike for a day and then realized that this type is best suited to my needs because it is the most stable. There are big differences between cargo bikes, also in terms of quality. It’s important to go to a specialist dealer and get advice. The bike should be individually tailored to your needs.”
The stonemason uses the bike to transport tools, slabs, lying stones, lanterns, auxiliary materials, wood or sand. He can carry a total load of 120 kilograms and the battery charge lasts for around 75 kilometers, depending on the load and temperature; he can travel further in spring and summer than in winter.
Read more in STEIN 12/20.