DPD Launches a Mobility Hub in Berlin with ONO, Swobbee, and Sprint

DPD opens its own micro-depot in Berlin following the successful completion of the cross-provider project for the cooperative use of micro-depots (KoMoDo). Two e-cargo bikes from ONO will be deployed in the surrounding Berlin districts. Swobbee provides a local battery swapping station on the premises of the Sprint gas station for an intelligent energy supply without interruptions to the operational workflow, and Sprint provides a 75KW high-performance charging station in addition to the property.

(Berlin) In the hall of a former car workshop in Berlin, which has been upgraded to a modern package transshipment point, DPD is now operating a micro-depot. With two state-of-the-art electric heavy cargo bikes from the Berlin startup ONO, as well as four additional cargo bikes, the surrounding districts of Friedrichshain, Prenzlauer Berg, Pankow, and Lichtenberg will be supplied with packages locally and emissions-free. For the start, DPD expects a package volume of 400 shipments per day. In the future, the volume can be increased by recharging at the micro-depot.

Component of the Sustainability Strategy “DrivingChange”

The micro-depot in Berlin is another component of the company’s sustainability strategy “DrivingChange.” DPD is responding to the ever-increasing package volume due to the growing online trade: Especially in residential areas with a high recipient density, the interplay of micro-depots, e-cargo bikes, and intelligent charging infrastructure on the last mile is particularly efficient and environmentally friendly. Since the micro-depot is supplied in the morning by an electrically operated VW eCrafter, the delivery of these packages is completely emissions-free locally.

Holistic Transport System Ensures Efficiency Gains

In Berlin, DPD already has experience in parcel delivery with cargo bikes: “We have already supplied parts of the delivery area with pedelecs when we participated in the federally funded, cross-provider cargo bike project KoMoDo. We also found that there is still potential for development, especially in the areas of reliability and after-sales for the available cargo bike models. We have used various models over a longer period in this city as well as in others. We are pleased to be able to use the ONO PAT as another professional model and look forward to the collaboration,” explains Gerd Seber, Group Manager Sustainability & Innovation at DPD. “After the project ended, we searched for suitable locations for our own micro-depot and found one on the outskirts of Prenzlauer Berg. The surrounding delivery area is predominantly residential recipients, and the stop density of the routes is correspondingly high. Such areas are ideally suited for package supply via cargo bike.”

75 kW Charging Station Right Next to the Depot

The DPD micro-depot is adjacent to the Sprint gas station on Kniprodestraße. The company has proactively begun to adapt to the mobility transformation. A 75KW high-performance charging station is already in operation at the Sprint gas station, which can also be used by the delivering VW eCrafter, as well as a modern battery swapping station from the Berlin Battery-as-a-Service provider Swobbee. This will now also be used for the micro-depot to supply energy to the cargo bikes. At the Swobbee station, empty batteries can be exchanged for full ones in seconds. The e-fleet is thus always mobile, and DPD does not have to establish and operate its own charging infrastructure. The innovative e-cargo bikes from ONO, which resemble micro e-trucks, have powerful GreenPack batteries with an electric range of around 60 kilometers and are ideally suited for professional use in city logistics with their 2m³ interchangeable cargo units.

Pioneering Form of Urban Delivery

“We are very pleased to support the groundbreaking DPD micro-depot in Berlin with our modern battery swapping system. We are convinced that we are offering a modern and pioneering form of urban delivery,” explains Ludwig Speidel, CFO of Swobbee. Mathias Drews, Head of Sales at ONO, adds: “Founded in 2016, ONOMOTION GmbH is both an innovative vehicle manufacturer and provider of smart mobility solutions – and it is rethinking and developing urban mobility. To make large cities emissions-free, safer, and quieter, ONOMOTION offers solutions for clean and flexible logistics and creates space for a human-friendly city. By utilizing the new micro-hub on Kniprodestraße as an urban goods transshipment point, timely guaranteed and planned delivery despite exponentially increasing transport demand is no longer a dream of the future. With the partnership between DPD as the logistics service provider, Swobbee as the Battery-as-a-Service energy supplier, and the connected vehicles from ONOMOTION, a new chapter in city logistics is opened to deliver customers faster, more efficiently, and emissions-free on the critical “last mile.”

Long-standing Mobility Hub Pilot Location

Volker Kretschmer, Managing Director of Sprint Tank GmbH, adds: “The project is a matter close to our hearts. The Sprint gas station on Kniprodestraße has been our mobility hub pilot location for alternative and sustainable mobility offerings for some time due to its infrastructure and demographic location. We started early with the first battery swapping station from Swobbee and shortly thereafter introduced Diesel protect25, a particularly sustainable diesel with a 25% CO² reduction compared to conventional diesel. This was followed by our first 75KW high-performance charging station, which we recently put into operation. So we did not hesitate for a second when we received the request from DPD and the project partners ONO and Swobbee for a sustainable micro-depot. We fully support the initiative as a proud partner and see the location as the first indication towards the “gas station of the future.”

About DPD

DPD Germany is part of the international DPDgroup, Europe’s largest parcel service network. DPD has 79 depots and 7,000 pickup parcel shops across Germany. 9,500 employees and 11,000 delivery drivers are on duty for customers every day. Each year, the number 2 in the German parcel market transports around 375 million packages – all completely climate-neutral, without additional costs for customers. With numerous initiatives for sustainable parcel delivery, DPD demonstrates, especially in city centers, how parcel shipping can be environmentally friendly and locally emissions-free.

The DPDgroup ships to 230 countries and territories worldwide and has a unified network of 47,000 pickup parcel shops around the world with harmonized services even for cross-border shipping. Across Europe, 77,000 delivery experts ensure that 5.3 million packages are delivered to customers every day. The parent company of DPD is GeoPost, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the French Groupe La Poste. GeoPost recorded a consolidated annual revenue of 7.8 billion euros in 2019.

 About Swobbee

 Swobbee GmbH, as a leading Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) provider, supports companies in the field of micromobility in realizing an efficient and sustainable energy infrastructure. Swobbee aims to establish a mobile and sustainable energy network to actively shape the energy and mobility transition. In addition to comprehensive BaaS services, Swobbee offers its Battery Swapping System (BSS), the world’s first manufacturer-open battery sharing system with an intermodal approach for micromobility. This enables corporate and location partners to use numerous electric mobility applications, such as e-cargo bikes, electric scooters, e-kickscooters, and gardening machines, in a risk-free, cost-benefit optimized manner.

About ONOMOTION GmbH

The European mobility service provider ONO is rethinking and developing the urban mobility of the future. ONO’s goal is to develop new meaningful solutions to sustainably improve the common good and inspire people worldwide to shape the transformation of urban mobility.

The founders Beres Seelbach (CEO), Murat Günak (CDO), and Philipp Kahle (CTO) together have over 30 years of experience in the field of e-mobility. Beres Seelbach founded his first company “Silent Through Germany” at the age of 24. Murat Günak is a former chief designer of the Volkswagen Group and co-founder of the electric vehicle manufacturer mia electric in 2010. Philipp Kahle is a specialist in electric light vehicles and has already dealt with charging infrastructures at GreenPack mobile energy solutions. The goal of rethinking and shaping urban mobility brought them together and led to the founding of Tretbox GmbH in May 2016 (now ONOMOTION GmbH). The company’s headquarters is in Berlin, with currently 31 employees who share the company’s vision and implement it with passion every day.

About Sprint

For over 30 years, the independent Sprint Tank GmbH has successfully established itself in the German gas station market. The owner-managed mineral oil company operates more than 140 gas stations nationwide together with its subsidiary HPV Hanseatic Petrol Vertriebs GmbH. In addition to conventional fuels such as super, super E10, diesel, super plus, and new: Diesel protect25, with at least 25% CO² savings compared to conventional diesel, their most important alternatives are also on offer: autogas and natural gas.

The modern shop and bistro concept of the two traditional brands provides customers with fresh quality baked goods and snacks, as well as tobacco products, newspapers and magazines, hot and cold drinks, sweets and groceries, drugstore items, and car care and accessories.

Photo: © DPD / Caption: The partners DPD Germany, ONO, Swobbee, and Sprint have launched a modern mobility hub. The location now serves as a micro-depot with a total of six cargo bikes and also features a 75KW high-performance charging station and a Swobbee station for battery swapping.

www.dpd.de    www.swobbee.de    www.onomotion.com    www.go-sprint.de