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Tag: urban logistics

Urban Final-Mile Delivery Firm Launches

Posted on by David Priestman

RELM Logistics (Consultants) officially launched this week with a bold mission: to revolutionise final-mile urban delivery by making it cleaner, smarter, and more cost-effective. As congestion, emissions, and operational costs continue to climb in city centres, RELM offers a compelling new model that leverages micro-mobility, containerisation, and data-driven fleet optimisation.

Founded by a team with over 70 years of collective logistics experience, RELM is a specialist consultancy helping logistics operators, retailers, and local authorities navigate the complex realities of urban deliveries. The consultancy draws on real-world results — including eight years of successful cargobike-based 3PL operations — to offer clients tailored solutions that reduce emissions while improving efficiency.

“The logistics sector is under immense pressure to cut costs and emissions, but simply electrifying van fleets isn’t enough,” says RELM founder James FitzGerald. “We’re here to help businesses go beyond compliance — to reimagine the urban supply chain entirely.”

Cleaner Air Through Smarter Logistics

Urban centres now face unprecedented delivery challenges: congestion has driven average city speeds below 10mph; Low and Zero Emission Zones are expanding; and parking restrictions lead to costly PCNs. Meanwhile, over 20% of the UK’s population live or work in just ten dense cities — making sustainable, high-efficiency urban logistics more urgent than ever. RELM’s multi-modal, Swiss Army knife approach replaces ‘van think’ with adaptable, data-led fleet composition. High-capacity cargo bikes — with 2m³ volume and up to 300kg payloads — are central to this shift, often outperforming traditional vans in dense urban environments while cutting emissions and cost-per-drop.

Micro-Containerisation: The Game Changer

RELM highlights micro-containerisation as the future of urban logistics. This innovative model streamlines the entire delivery chain, reducing handling, boosting rider productivity, and enhancing traceability. In recent trials with a national grocery retailer, cargo bikes using pre-packed containers matched — and in some cases surpassed — vans in both speed and energy use, even in demanding ‘pick from store’ models.

For parcel carriers, containerisation offers even greater returns. One national delivery firm recorded a 30–45 minute daily time-saving per driver by shifting overnight packing away from riders. RELM sees this as just the beginning. “Implementing micro-containerisation isn’t just a final-mile fix — it’s a full supply chain upgrade,” says the RELM team. “It enables scalable, repeatable systems that drive down cost and emissions at every stage.”

Hands-On Expertise, Real-World Impact

From cold chain compliance to charging infrastructure, RELM supports every aspect of a successful transition to micro-mobility. Services include:

• Vehicle selection and field trials
• Site audits and logistics benchmarking
• Rider recruitment, training, and ops setup
• Lithium-ion battery safety and charging guidance
• Custom fabrication for specialised goods
• Cold-chain and oversized freight solutions
• New vehicle integration with existing route optimisation software
• Micro-mobility fleet maintenance and workshop facility design and operation

Having worked with past clients including Harrods, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Ocado Zoom, and multiple London boroughs, the team at RELM bring proven experience to help businesses not just adapt — but lead.

E-Commerce at a Crossroads

UK online retail has surged from 3% of sales in 2006 to nearly 30% today — but RELM argues the ceiling could be far higher if logistics costs weren’t a limiting factor. “Retailers are reaching the limits of cost-efficiency with current models,” says RELM. “Physical stores won’t get cheaper — but online fulfilment can. Real gains lie in operational redesign, not just swapping vans for smaller vans.”

With strategic implementation of containerisation and micro-mobility, RELM believes businesses could push ecommerce penetration to 60% and beyond. “The winners will be those who master this shift. The rest will fall behind.”

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E-Cargo Bikes Partner

Posted on by David Priestman

Zoomo, provider of last-mile electric fleet solutions, today announced its plans to double down on four-wheeled e-cargo bikes, catering to the needs of the burgeoning urban logistics sector. The announcement sees Zoomo welcome VOK, a provider of automotive- grade cargo bikes, and Fernhay, micro-mobility vehicle solutions provider, to its platform.

Zoomo will offer financing for both Vok and Fernhay vehicles, with full maintenance and its advanced fleet management software which helps businesses track and maintain their delivery fleet. Today’s announcement builds on Zoomo’s recent introduction of EAV to its product line-up, reinforcing the company’s dedication to putting more light electric vehicles (LEVs) on the road.

With the rapid growth of e-commerce and the introduction of anti-car legislation in major cities, the urban logistics sector is actively exploring alternative vehicle form factors to replace traditional delivery vans. Four-wheeled e-cargo bikes are coming out on top, and Zoomo is confident this form factor is meeting the last mile delivery sector’s evolving demands. This is because compared to conventional vans, e-cargo bikes offer faster urban delivery, with the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 90%, all while being more cost-effective.

Both Vok and Fernhay e-cargo bikes are tailored to the specific requirements of urban delivery, offering a spacious 2,000-litre cargo capacity and a robust 200 kg payload limit. With a 250W output and supported speeds of up to 25 km/h, these vehicles present an ideal replacement for traditional vans.

Michael Johnson, Co-Founder and CRO, Zoomo, said: “We’re all in on e-cargo bikes as true ‘van-replacers’. We know our customers in urban logistics want this solution to achieve their sustainability goals and drive more efficient deliveries. We have traction from customers around the world, including the likes of Evri, who are reaping the benefits of integrating cargo bikes into their fleets, and we’re determined to build on this momentum.”

Zoomo is resolute in its belief in the future of e-cargo bikes within cities, and that regulation will ultimately favour these form factors, not hinder. The productivity and efficiency gains, such as the ability to circumvent traffic, park without fines, and reduce costs, remain compelling reasons for their adoption. Vok and Fernhay offer unique and compelling solutions for companies seeking to optimise their urban logistics operations.

“The financial and operational infrastructure to support a widespread micro-mobility revolution in the world of city logistics is in its early days and it’s evident that Zoomo is at the forefront here”, says Indrek Petjärv, Vok Bikes Co-founder and CEO. “We could not be happier to join forces and give Zoomo’s customers the possibility to make the switch using our vehicles and in turn bring the administrational flexibility to our own customers.”

Peter Schenkman, Fernhay COO, added: “Our partnership with Zoomo is a significant step towards offering efficient, green, and cost-saving urban logistics. We share a commitment to sustainability and believe that e-cargo bikes can revolutionise last-mile delivery.”

Vok and Fernhay will leverage Zoomo’s global reach in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and North America. Furthermore, both existing and future customers of VOK and Fernhay gain access to Zoomo’s extensive service network, telematics-integrated software platform, and financing options.

3D City Models for Geospatial Transportation Data

Posted on by David Priestman

HERE Technologies, a leading location data and technology platform, has unveiled high-fidelity, 3D models of 75 city centers around the world to give software developers the geospatial data needed to build real-world visualizations of cities. With HERE Premier 3D Cities, last-mile delivery drivers can navigate dense cities with maps that highlight precise building dimensions and entry points along their delivery routes. Telecommunications companies can optimize their buildouts of 5G networks in 3D and urban planners and emergency responders can build digital twins for better land use analysis and disaster readiness simulations.

HERE Premier 3D Cities contain rich data layers and attributes that are aligned to physical geometry and terrain. Each structure is indexed, addressable, and accurate in terms of physical location, volume size, elevation and façade color. Currently, the Audi A8 luxury sedan’s modular infotainment platform (MIB2+) integrates HERE 3D city models, providing drivers with the latest navigation user interface and lane-level guidance experiences.

“With the enterprise developer in mind, HERE has captured, indexed and mapped the world’s major road networks and urban centers in 3D,” said Jørgen Behrens, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer at HERE Technologies. “We’re excited to see how these unique 3D city models open up a world of possibilities and value for businesses. They are the building blocks to create accurate, sub-meter augmented reality applications that are transforming supply chains, transportation and mobility networks, and overall consumer experiences.”

The indexed and addressable structures within HERE Premier 3D Cities allow developers to search and highlight individual buildings, attach additional metadata to the structures, and apply advanced rendering techniques including CGI applications. HERE Premier 3D Cities are available in Cesium/OGC 3D Tiles to support seamless integration. Each kilometer of data is stored in small-sized tiles for efficient streaming and rendering. Sample datasets of London, Berlin and Munich are currently available on AWS Data Exchange.

HERE has mapped 196 countries and collects more than 28 terabytes of terrestrial LiDAR data every day. HERE Premier 3D Cities are created with multiple sources – including LiDAR, optical and satellite imagery – and decades of cartographic expertise and AI/Machine Learning applications the company has developed to deliver industry leading location-based services to enterprises globally.

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