Look back at a company with aspirations to create a new local delivery infrastructure that, unfortunately, shut down since this interview. The story of Charles Jolley, CEO of URB-E, can be instructive for founders with big ideas. URB-E spent nine years working to build a local container delivery network that used e-bikes pulling collapsible containers to deliver goods throughout cities and neighborhoods. The company aimed to enable a single delivery person to pull up to 800 pounds of stuff, which is sufficient to replace an internal combustion delivery van. URB-E launched in New York and Los Angeles, where riders earned between $18 and $24 an hour, with paid time off. The company’s mission was “to be the global leader in foldable, emission-free transportation solutions.”
The last mile in the supply chain, between a distribution center and a retail location or your home, has been the focus of innovation over the past century, starting when United Parcel Service was founded in Seattle using bikes. The evolution of on-demand delivery, however, became enmeshed with fossil fuel-powered cars and vans, and we’re still paying the price. What could last mile deliveries look like in a post-carbon society? It may resemble the founding of UPS, but with logistics and electric bike technology taking the place of pedal power. Who will step into the local delivery gap?
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on July 18, 2022.