The research project TRASHH - Technological and economic analysis of the possible use of cargo bicycles in municipal institutions under public law using the example of the Hamburg city cleaning service - investigates the potential use of electrically assisted cargo bicycles (e-load bicycles) for public organizations and service providers using the example of the Hamburg city cleaning service.
Project
Based on a comprehensive analysis of current processes of the Hamburg City Sanitation Department, in which light commercial vehicles are used today, TRASHH will determine in which of these processes the commercial vehicles currently in use can be replaced by an e-load bike. This will be followed by a test phase with the use of 10 e-load bikes in SRH's everyday operations. This test phase will be scientifically accompanied and evaluated by the DLR Institute of Transport Research. In addition to the economic and technological feasibility study, a key aspect of the TRASHH project is to determine how to motivate users to use e-load bikes in their everyday work and how to maximize the benefits of the bikes for them. Based on the findings obtained in TRASHH, general recommendations for action for municipal companies on the economic use of e-load bikes will be formulated.
A "round table" consisting of representatives of municipal organizations, cargo bike manufacturers and academia is accompanying the project.
With its complex structure and diverse responsible tasks, Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH) is the ideal practical partner for the pilot deployment of e-load bikes. SRH has over 40 locations in Hamburg and operates administrative buildings, recycling yards, a waste incineration plant, workshops, a composting plant, container yards and 2nd-hand stores. More than 500 employees alone are engaged in cleaning public traffic areas (sidewalks, squares, bike paths and streets). The mobility of the employees is currently ensured almost exclusively by motor vehicles.
In addition to the project activities, the DLR Institute of Transport Research is coordinating a research support group with representatives of the other funded projects in the "Electromobility" funding priority, which are also being funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) with funds for implementing the National Cycling Plan 2020 (NRVP). This research support group represents an important component of the overall evaluation of the NRVP 2020 funding phase, and is intended to support the exchange of technical experience among the funded projects.
Objectives
The aim of the TRASHH project is to test, together with Stadtreinigung Hamburg, how the environmental impact of vehicles in the service sector can be reduced and avoided. The municipal facilities would like to play a pioneering role in this. At the same time, municipal companies are always on the lookout for more efficient ways of getting work done, for example by using cargo bikes that are cheaper to purchase and operate. The TRASHH project therefore focuses on determining the technical, organizational and economic potential for using e-load bikes in municipal cleaning companies.
Project phases
Contracting entity
The TRASHH research project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) with funds for the implementation of the National Cycling Plan 2020 (NRVP).
Project partners
Project duration
from May/2016 to June/2020