Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AxleHire, a logistics innovator for last-mile delivery, announced at the Home Delivery World conference in Philadelphia that they would be expanding two new zero-emission pilot programs with Tortoise and URB-E to realize the benefits of sustainable last-mile delivery. The pilots, taking place in Los Angeles (Tortoise) and New York City (URB-E), will be scaled nationally in 2021 and 2022 in other cities where the companies currently have operations.
AxleHire’s partnerships with Tortoise and URB-E are a natural next step in the companies’ mission to create sustainable and cost-efficient last-mile delivery. Powered by proprietary technology, AxleHire utilizes algorithms to dynamically optimize delivery routes - providing more packages delivered in fewer vehicles. In addition, AxleHire establishes delivery hubs in or nearby densely traveled metro routes, which ultimately lowers miles traveled and fuel consumed.
Utilizing URB-E’s zero-emission electric vehicles and collapsible micro containers or Tortoise’s zero-emission remote-piloted carts has lowered emissions by 95 percent.
In New York, AxleHire and URB-E launched a micro-container delivery system to deliver goods from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The URB-E vehicles can haul more than 800 lbs and still travel in bike lanes. This model case study proved that the delivery network saved on drive time and avoided parking tickets, resulting in a 6x reduction in traffic and a model that is 3x cheaper than EV delivery vans.
“Partnering with AxleHire has allowed our two companies to do what no other cleantech delivery companies have been able to do successfully in the United States, making e-cargo delivery easily adaptable and scalable,” said URB-E CEO Charles Jolley. “Our micro container delivery project in New York has proven that it’s more than possible to do green delivery more efficiently and at less cost than traditional gas-powered delivery vans.”
For the last year, AxleHire has been quietly piloting Tortoise's 100% electric, 4-mph remote-piloted carts loaded with AxleHire customer's packages (up to 120 pounds of goods). Using a centrally-placed micro hub, AxleHire loads their customers' deliveries into the Tortoise delivery cart, which goes back and forth to make approximately 15 deliveries a day to recipients in Los Angeles. All the while, the Tortoise is coasting down sidewalks, bike lanes, and the side of the road, fulfilling deliveries within a 3-mile radius.
”Tortoise is thrilled to be expanding our relationship with AxleHire to scale up zero-emissions remote-controlled last-mile package delivery nationwide. Tortoise’s flexible & friendly delivery robots are a perfect fit for making AxleHire’s last-mile delivery of meal kits, parcels, groceries affordable, delightful, and sustainable.” said Dmitry Shevelenko, Co-Founder, Tortoise.
In February this year, AxleHire participated in the nation’s first zero-emission delivery zone in Santa Monica and, in the spring, a zero-emission neighborhood delivery hub in Seattle.
“Creating a sustainable supply chain is something that we take seriously here at AxleHire, especially as a California-based company where we see how things like global warming have an impact on our daily lives,” said Daniel Sokolovsky founder of AxleHire. “I’m super excited we’re expanding nationally with Tortoise and URB-E and reaching more metro neighborhoods where using sustainable delivery technology has a big impact.”
About AxleHire:
AxleHire combines innovative technology and superior logistics to deliver cost-effective, reliable same and next-day delivery services to industry leaders such as HelloFresh, Deliverr, Freshly, Milkbar, and others. AxleHire was purpose-built to support companies whose businesses rely on trusted and consistent delivery services to get their customers what they need when they need it. AxleHire has multiple locations in cities across the U.S, enabling high-volume shippers to cater to the needs and growing expectations of their customers.
For more information, please visit axlehire.com.
About URB-E:
URB-E is containerizing last-mile delivery to help make our cities run better. The containers save a massive amount of space in crowded urban centers and can be moved through city streets more quickly and economically, with less environmental impact, than other alternatives. URB-E has some of the world's largest retailers and e-commerce companies as its clients. The venture-funded company is backed by UBS Group and headquartered in Los Angeles.
For more information, please visit urb-e.com.
About Tortoise:
Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Mountain View, CA, Tortoise automates logistics for light electric vehicles, including their first-of-its-kind remote-controlled package & grocery delivery robot, the Tortoise Cart. Tortoise works with partners worldwide to provide the most cost-effective, zero-emissions way to move anything from A to B safely.
For more information, please visit www.tortoise.dev
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