Bicycles

What happens when you cross a cargo bike with a van?

What happens when you cross a cargo bike with a van?
The Tender 3000 hits the streets of Amsterdam
The Tender 3000 hits the streets of Amsterdam
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The Tender 3000 hits the streets of Amsterdam
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The Tender 3000 hits the streets of Amsterdam
The Tender rider's pedalling power is augmented by a Bosch Performance CX motor, which is in turn powered by a Bosch battery pack
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The Tender rider's pedalling power is augmented by a Bosch Performance CX motor, which is in turn powered by a Bosch battery pack

Although cargo bikes could already be described as the delivery vans of the bicycle world, Urban Arrow's new electric-assist Tender trike is particularly deserving of the title. It's made for commercial-scale deliveries, and to support such loads, it actually has car-like wheels in the front.

The Tender is currently in prototype form, and is being used by the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn to deliver groceries in central Amsterdam. It's been produced in various cargo capacities, ranging from the 1,500-liter Tender 1500 (which can carry a maximum load of 350 kg/772 lb) up to the 3,000-liter Tender 3000.

The Tender rider's pedalling power is augmented by a Bosch Performance CX motor, which is in turn powered by a Bosch battery pack
The Tender rider's pedalling power is augmented by a Bosch Performance CX motor, which is in turn powered by a Bosch battery pack

The rider's pedalling power is augmented by a Bosch Performance CX motor, which is in turn powered by a 500-watt Bosch battery pack. One complete charge of that battery takes three to four hours, with the range depending greatly on the load being carried. A top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph) is possible.

If the Albert Heijn pilot project goes well, the vehicle may be available commercially by sometime next year. In the meantime, you can see it in use, in the video below (the Tender makes its first appearance at the 02:09 mark).

Source: Urban Arrow

Short Film: 'Towards Smart Urban Mobility'

5 comments
5 comments
exodous
I had a roommate that was a bicycle delivery boy for a sandwich shop and it was hell according to him. He delivered pizza with his car for an earlier job and said tips were the same if he was late or not in his car but on a bike people don't tip if you're late. It seems like it should be the opposite, why give a delivery guy more of a break when he drives a car than a bike? It is a lot harder getting to a destination quickly on a bike than a car.
Douglas Bennett Rogers
There is no visible grade, aside from driveways in any of these pictures. This is great for the Netherlands. In Kansas City, you would be back to wagon days, where a 20 mile trip into town took all day.
windykites
Just wondering why the driver is not at the front, and towing the load. No real need to have all that stuff in front of him. Steering mechanism would be much lighter and easier.
Edmond_V_O_Katusz
Auwch, the car wheels. Totally unneccessary. Driver behind payload, not such a good idea as far looking ahead and steering are concerned. Indeed windykites is right.
Have look at the Velove Armadillo, from a Swedish company partnering with Dutch engineering bicycle (design) company Flevobike Technology. DHL was working with a prototype for delivery in a Dutch town.
In 2014 & 2015 the Armadillo was presented at the specialist bicycle show SPEZI in Germersheim (Germany) Great machine! See: http://velove.se/the-armadillo/
Urban Arrow makes some great bikes, tend to be to heavy, too heavy for my taste, but with an electric motor you can do very well. Salut! Edmond
Edmond_V_O_Katusz
BTW as far as the movie concerns. The statement "no one has ever done that before" is beside the truth, because many years ago you had the Brox. Unfortunately too far ahead of it's time. https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8047/8094468539_f06d87c545_b.jpg If one searches the internet with "Brox cargobike" one gets a nice impression of the bike. Cheers! Edmond