On 25th October, London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expanded again, creating a large district across the North and South Circular Roads. This was just one of many sustainable initiatives implemented in major UK urban areas recently, with a long-awaited low emission area finally introduced across Birmingham in July.
Implementing such zones is part of the government’s wider plan of action for reducing the country’s carbon footprint. The roll-out of the ultra-low emission areas aim to encourage the take-up of electric cars and public transport and emerging technologies, including e-bikes and e-scooters.
But while the roll-out of such technology will play a crucial role in the country’s mission to shore-up sustainability, consideration must be given to how electric bikes and scooters are powered. Beryl is the UK’s leading micromobility operator, providing safe, green transportation solutions in some of the UK’s busiest urban areas, including Bournemouth and Norwich.
The business currently has a fleet of nearly 6,000 e-bikes and scooters powered by lithium-ion batteries. Lee Thomas, Operations Excellence Lead at Beryl, explains, “Lithium-ion batteries are the ideal solution for powering electric bikes and scooters. Not only can they be recharged hundreds of times, but lithium-ion batteries are also a stable solution, with higher energy density, voltage capacity and lower self-discharge rate than other market equivalents.
“However, despite all these obvious benefits, careful consideration is needed when transporting them”.
That consideration is, in fact, mandated by law. The transportation and storage of lithium-ion batteries is subject to strict safety regulations set out by the Department of Transportation’s Hazardous Materials Act. Failure to comply with this legislation is not only a serious safety risk, it can also land businesses and their logistics providers sizeable fines and even prosecution.
Lee continues, “As our business grew and evolved, and we trialled our scheme in more areas nationwide, we understood the importance of an effective, safe and compliant means of transporting lithium batteries, and ZARGES met our requirements.
“The ZARGES technical team worked with us to identify the best product for our requirements, developing the best case for our business based on a number of key metrics, including battery size and watt hours. This attention to detail gave us confidence in the final product.”
As one of the UK’s foremost providers of casing solutions for hazardous goods, ZARGES has long been at the vanguard of research and development into transportation solutions for hazardous goods.
Neil Harper, sales manager at ZARGES, takes up the story, “As a rapidly expanding business with a growing fleet of e-bikes and scooters, Beryl presented a unique challenge when it came to the transportation of lithium-ion batteries. They needed to find a storage solution that was not only secure and durable, but which could be easily assimilated into their wider logistics provision. The solution we quickly identified was our K470 Universal container.”
Available in one of 25 standard sizes and with capacity ranging from 13 to 829 litres, the K470 box is at the forefront of ZARGES hazardous goods offering. Stringently tested to ensure ultimate safety, the K470 has been especially designed to eliminate the risk of combustion and the spread of flames – a vital consideration for the transportation of goods as potentially volatile as lithium-ion batteries.
Lee continues, “With the K470 solution from ZARGES, we’ve found peace of mind when it comes to battery transportation. Importantly, the box has been tested and certified as compliant with UN approval for the transportation of hazardous goods, a global safety standard.
“The K470 is a vital piece of kit helping us to expand our presence nationwide, meaning more commuters than ever can hop onto one of our clean, green transport solutions.”
For more information on the full range of products and services offered by ZARGES, please visit: www.zarges.com/en/