If Sweden is to meet its climate targets for transport, a fossil-free transition is needed soon. Gordon is now participating in the ENKLA project led by VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, which is investigating whether simple transhipment terminals can be part of the solution.
ENKLA stands for ”Fossil-free last mile delivery of groceries in cities: transhipment in its simplest form” and the project will test, review and evaluate new transhipment concepts for home deliveries in cities using electric vehicles. For Sweden to reach its climate targets for transport, all goods must be transported fossil-free in the near future, but factors such as the fact that warehouses are often located far from the city centre have so far complicated the transition to fossil-free. To make it possible to carry out deliveries with small, fossil-free vehicles, distances need to be shortened for the last mile.
Therefore, the transhipment concept to be evaluated consists of simple micro terminals that can act as hubs where goods are transferred from larger vehicles to smaller electric vehicles. The terminals will use existing urban infrastructure such as car parks that are not normally used throughout the day. In this way, the ENKLA project aims to create long-term, cost-effective and fossil-free transhipment solutions with the goal of reaching the same number of deliveries and the same range without heavy batteries limiting the load weight of the vehicles.
The ENKLA project will conduct tests with electric lorries from Gordon, manufactured by E-Tron. Both companies are participating in the project as partners together with AB Svenska Bostäder, Skandia Fastigheter AB and OK-Q8 AB, under the leadership of VTI. The project runs from November 2023 to January 2026 and is financed by The Swedish Transport Administration.
