Zero-Emission Delivery Hub

What is a zero-emissions delivery hub?

A zero-emissions delivery hub (or an urban mini distribution centre – made up of a shipping container) consists of a drop-off point in an area somewhere between the peri-urban sorting centre (the shipping company’s warehouse) and the final destination. With this type of urban delivery space, parcels heading to several different zones in your area are delivered to the hub with a single truck coming from the peri-urban sorting centre. From the hub, parcels are distributed on short delivery routes using smaller, zero-emissions vehicles better suited to the urban scale, thereby avoiding several trips using a medium to heavy truck between the peri-urban sorting centre and the recipients.

What is urban delivery, also called last-mile delivery?

Urban delivery refers to all merchandise transport operations within cities. This is what is often called the “last mile” of the logistics chain, that is, the final step before the product reaches the end consumer. This is already starting to reinvent itself: new parcel transfer points are being added in the most dense boroughs. Through this project we hope to continue to innovate and improve urban delivery to make it greener.

How is the use of cargo bikes relevant to last-mile delivery in my neighbourhood?

Cargo bikes make it possible to deliver more parcels than a truck in the same amount of time. Bikes can use bike lanes to avoid congestion and more easily park without blocking traffic, unlike a truck. Using a cargo bike eliminates GHG emissions and reduces traffic congestion in your area.

Why implement this project in your borough?

Your borough is a high-density delivery area with an innovative approach to transporting people and merchandise, which will help increase the project’s effectiveness and make it possible to evaluate its integration and consequences properly. By integrating this project into your borough, your borough will be able to follow its strategic direction regarding sustainable mobility.

How long will this project go on for?

The zero-emissions delivery hub project will be conducted over a period of two years, allowing us to run the project over two winters. This will give us a larger data sample for our analysis, thereby ensuring that our conclusions are more realistic. Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie is the first borough where this project will be integrated. Other boroughs will follow suit in the weeks to come.

Will the project have a negative impact on local businesses?

This project will guarantee last-mile delivery for some of the delivery companies you deal with regularly. We help companies carry out their last-mile delivery in a way that is carbon neutral, whether they are local or international. We do not work with multi-national online businesses, so this project will not have a negative impact on local business.

Why only conduct this project on the last mile of delivery?

The last mile, or dernier kilomètre in French, also called urban delivery, is the most polluting and disruptive part of delivery for residents. The truck travels through the streets in your area, stops where it can, leaving its engine running, drops off your parcel and leaves, over and over again, all day long.

By using a zero-emissions vehicle for the final delivery mile, we reduce GHG in your area, in addition to making the area’s streets safer with fewer trucks and, therefore, less traffic.

It is more appropriate to conduct last-mile delivery in a carbon-neutral manner, as bikes adapt particularly well to this segment of the supply chain. This type of delivery vehicle is also less affected by difficult road conditions due to snow storms, as cargo bikes operate especially well in winter, and in summer.

Who is this project for?

This project is equally suited to delivery companies, local businesses and citizens, and also administrative bodies (provincial, municipal, and boroughs).

The notion of sustainable mobility is becoming increasingly important in today’s world. Most cities and businesses have developed a sustainable mobility plan that they must implement within the next 10 years to reduce their GHG emissions.

Reducing GHG is everyone’s business. Every small change in our consumption habits counts, whether it involves purchasing a hybrid or electric vehicle, using public transit or, like this project, receiving carbon-neutral deliveries.

This viable and very reliable delivery model significantly contributes to reducing GHG. Several large cities worldwide have already integrated this type of project into their deliveries, such as Prague, Seattle, London and Toronto.

Which delivery companies are participating in this project?

Several delivery companies have shown interest in this project, including Purolator, Courrier SOS, Obibox, Intelcom. In the coming months, other delivery companies will join this urban delivery project, making this a shared hub.

Who is responsible for maintaining the shipping container and what are you doing to avoid vandalism?

Each participating delivery company is responsible for maintaining its part of the delivery hub. For example, they must keep the area clean (no garbage, remove boxes, wrapping materials, etc.), and they must contact Propulsion Québec if they witness vandalism or other major problems.

Propulsion Québec is responsible for the hub’s physical appearance, that is, the shipping container, and commits to finding a solution and contacting Ville de Montréal’s graffiti cleaning team if necessary. This initiative is a pilot project, so we are in an adaptation period and appreciate any feedback regarding this type of issue.

If you witness vandalism, please contact us at mini-poles@propulsionquebec.com.

What measures will be implemented to reduce the noise of the trucks dropping parcels off at the containers?

By integrating this project into your borough, we will minimize the number of trucks driving through. The objective is to have 1 delivery vehicle per participating delivery company stopping once a day at the delivery hub. We therefore foresee a maximum of 5 delivery vehicles (vans, small trucks, cargo vans, etc.) dropping off parcels at the zero-emissions delivery hub.

The hubs, which are shipping containers, are equipped with garage doors to facilitate loading zero-emissions vehicles.

If you have a comment, a suggestion, or a complaint regarding this matter, please contact us at mini-poles@propulsionquebec.com.

What is Propulsion Québec’s role?

Propulsion Québec is the cluster for electric and smart transportation. Our mission is to accelerate the development of the Quebec electric and smart transportation industry, and our ambition is to reinvent tomorrow’s mobility to make transport sustainable.

Our role in this project is to ensure the support, data collection and operation of the zero-emissions delivery hubs to maximize the viability of decarbonized urban delivery. We want to set an example and motivate other Quebec cities and municipalities to follow suit and make the concept a vital component of 21^st-century cities.

Who should I contact if I have a question, comment, complaint or suggestion?

This project is an initiative of Propulsion Québec, the cluster for electric and smart transportation, in collaboration with your borough. If you have any questions or requests, please contact us at: mini-poles@propulsionquebec.com. A member of our team will be happy to assist you.