Cargo Hopper Utrecht

In the Dutch CIVITAS MIMOSA city of Utrecht a partnership between municipal agencies and a company called Hoek has lead to a new type of truck delivery appearing on the streets. In both Utrecht and Enschede, retailers in the core of the inner city agreed to have needed goods shipped by large freight trucks to a depot ten kilometers outside city limits, then trucked by Cargohopper tiny electric "truck train" delivery vehicles directly to shop locations. This solves two problems - no more huge trucks idling in the shopping streets during peak hours (there are already strict rules in place in the Netherlands limiting delivery times), and less need for shopkeepers to have big loads delivered, as the Cargohopper can make smaller, more frequent deliveries from the depots each day. The Cargohopper is a long and narrow "train" that easily maneuvers Dutch inner cities' cramped streets. It has a maximum speed of just 12 kilometers per hour, which is deemed fine for the deliveries the Cargohopper makes. The Cargohopper can go do about 60 kilometers of deliveries each day and each of the truck trains can reduce diesel fuel use by 20,000 liters annually, and cut CO2 emissions by 30 ton. Have a look for yourself at this video.