Solar-powered cargo bikes reduce IKEA delivery emissions and 'bypass traffic congestion'

Successful pilot extends cargo bike use to all global IKEA retailers

For the last couple of years, IKEA retailers have been introducing electric trucks for home delivery services. Now, the IKEA franchisor is adding a more sustainable alternative home delivery transport solution: Solar-powered cargo bikes.

The Sunrider bike can accommodate roughly 90 per cent of the IKEA product range and emits 98 per cent less CO2 than modern diesel vans

Over the last year, the IKEA store in Delft, Netherlands, completed a pilot using a solar-powered cargo bike for delivering products to its customers within the city centre around the store.

After evaluating the pilot, the worldwide IKEA franchisor (Inter IKEA Systems B.V.) now has decided to scale up and give all IKEA retailers around the world the possibility to add a more sustainable, accessible and cost-effective alternative to their home delivery fleet within their market.

“This Sunrider bike can accommodate roughly 90 per cent of the IKEA product range and emits 98 per cent less CO2 than modern diesel vans. For IKEA, it’s important to explore new ways to improve the service offer for the customers, both from a more sustainable, affordable and accessible perspective.

"The solar-powered cargo bike does all that”, says Helene Davidsson, Sustainability Manager, Inter IKEA Systems B.V.  

“We want to meet more people, and many of our future customers will live in cities with limited access to transportation. This challenge provides a great opportunity to explore new ways of making our products available. The solar-powered cargo bike will be a valuable addition to last-mile service, as it offers a quiet, emission-free alternative that can also bypass traffic congestion”, says Davidsson.