IOC talked express sector and need for light category machines to deliver to door with clean air.

Motor Cycle Industry Association, MCIA Birmingham conference,

A sector action plan for two-wheelers, growth in smaller bikes, agendas with road safety, bike theft and crime. Air quality issues mean we must push for zero tailpipe.

In previous years, this conference was in parallel with the Birmingham bike show; this special fifty year event went standalone, It was a great result and stood strong, with a full house, a great lunch and a cake pudding. Inst of Couriers, Dr Tracey Worth was on stage to talk Lcat clean air vehicles to complete delivery to door with capacity of volume.

The January conference agenda was broad, light vehicles, e-fuel to zero emission. The room was full and DfT provided the transport minister Jessie Norman for the opening.

MCIA boss, Tony Cambell spoke passionately,

The sector contribution is already low at zero point four six of the whole transport contribution to combustion.

Transport Minister Jessie Norman was on line direct to the mega-size stage.

The UK Economy and what businesses can expect as we face a likely recession. UK Politics and how green / energy policies will disrupt our market and in-turn create both challenges and opportunities for the sector.

From the stage, 'Fuelling the changes in transport and infrastructure'. Guests asked, where have the petrol stations gone? Discussion included e-fuel and how do we measure electricity? Where does the electricity come from? Coal powered electric generation is not clean! Discussions continued around footprint and size of vehicle. Resources going into batteries was judged very valuable and the need to be recycled was key.

DfT published a lifecycle report recently, MCIA,

We can put to bed the idea an electric vehicle uses a great deal more carbon to build than a combustion vehicle.

Looking at compete life of a two-wheeler, the vehicle uses about 80% on its life's travel and 20% on manufacture.

Dr Tracey Worth delivered a keynote on the Express final mile sector's need for two-wheel delivery to the door.

Help deliver 60 billion items to door.

‘What is this thing we call express and delivery to the door?

Delivery numbers exploded from COVID, 53 billion items delivered to the door in 2021, 2022 number predicted at 60 billion.

Four streams, mail, parcel, food, and meal in the mix.

Forecast for 2022 is 9.75 billion meals delivered to the door.

What vehicles do they get delivered by?

From cycle to light car with a heady mix of petrol, electric and assisted two-wheelers in the mix for drivers and riders.

Volume comes first

For parcel the challenge is not weight, it is volume, a growing number of cargo cycle derivatives for light vehicles two to four wheels. Parcel volume always exceeds weight in the challenge, the market needs a minimum of 100 litres of volume for successful final mile L category vehicles. ‘We need to think differently. The express sector does!’

Food for thought. - This sector is low-hanging fruit, we have a need for L cat vehicles that deliver 100 litres plus.