BrightDrop has collaborated with the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab (UFL), The City of Seattle, and tech and delivery companies, AxleHire, Coaster Cycles and REEF, to launch one of the nation’s first zero operating-emissions, last-mile neighborhood delivery hubs.  

The delivery hub in Seattle’s Uptown neighborhood is a pilot program using zero operating-emissions technology to test new vehicles, delivery models, and other technologies to help accelerate the development and deployment of sustainable last-mile solutions. These technologies are critical to the City of Seattle meeting the goals outlined in its Transportation Electrification Blueprint, including transitioning 30 percent of goods delivery to zero emissions by 2030.

The neighborhood delivery hub includes:

• A neighborhood kitchen, bringing the local area quick and low-emissions access to some of their favorite delivery restaurants.

• A common-carrier parcel locker, providing neighbors secure and contactless package delivery from all major package carriers in an energy-efficient model.

• A cargo-bike delivery service, leveraging BrightDrop’s propulsion-assisted electric pallets, or EP1s, enabling zero operating-emissions last-mile goods delivery.

“BrightDrop is proud to work alongside these like-minded organizations at the neighborhood delivery hub to test the feasibility of a more sustainable last-mile perishable goods delivery service. We see this as an opportunity to encourage people to step into a place of imagination to consider the world of delivery and logistics not as it is, but how it could be sooner than later,” said Bob Tiderington, senior manager for Strategy and Operations at BrightDrop. “At a time when less contact is more, BrightDrop’s EP1 is designed to help reduce package touch points, costs and physical strain on the labor force.”