Emka locking technology turns cargo bike into mobile safe

To ensure the same level of theft protection as a delivery van on its environmentally friendly cargo bike, Urban Mobility sought support from an expert in locking systems – and it found in Emka.

Supporting the evolution of an environmentally friendly, sustainable and mobile world, is the vision of Urban Mobility, which has developed a special cargo pedelec with a secure goods attachment to meet the company’s vision. Its UM CargoBike is intended to replace bulky delivery vans and to ease excessive traffic from the downtown core of our many city centres.

Few city centres are not choked with traffic for most of the day – it is recognised that across the European Union, road traffic will have accounted for one-fifth of emissions in 2022 and that among the many cars on these roads are many delivery vehicles. However, these vehicles are usually an obstacle to traffic, as they are often double-parked to deliver their packages speedily.

However double parking is detrimental not only to the flow of traffic but also to the environment – so in order to combat this congestion, entrepreneurs from the mechanical engineering and logistics sectors have joined forces and founded Urban Mobility. Their goal is to develop and produce new mobility concepts for urban areas – first fruit of this project is the UM CargoBike.

The CargoBike is designed to transport larger quantities and heavier loads in urban areas than could be accommodated on a normal bicycle. The pedelec runs on electricity and can move from A to B using cycle paths and roads. It is intended to serve commercial CEP (courier express parcel) service providers as an alternative to large bulky transport vans using a standard transport case with a volume of 2 m³ that stores the parcels safely.

The unit can transport up to 250 kg of goods and offers a rear door using simple snap locks which provides access to the cargo container. However, it was quickly recognised that additional locking would be required to ensure that packages could not easily be stolen from the parked bike when a delivery is made.

“Right from the first meeting with Emka, we could put together the ideal locking solution for our CargoBikes from their extensive selection of individual components,” says Tilmann Rosch, managing director of Urban Mobility. “The prototypes arrived very quickly, and we could install them successfully.”

Emka used a locking solution for the storage door and developed an optimised system based on a rod control mechanism for multiple interlocking. Three locking points inside the seal are connected with a flat rod made of stainless steel. Each of these points comprises a rod control for multiple interlocking (galvanised) systems in combination with a bearing bush, a righthand side end-stop (black glass-filled polyamide) and a stainless steel cam. The locking points can be opened by operating an L-handle quarter turn (black powder-coated). Since the quarter turn has an integrated lock, this provides increased protection against theft. Furthermore, the three locking points increase the resistance to volent attack.

The hinges are 180° hinge type 1056-U59 (die-cast aluminium). Here, Urban Mobility was quickly convinced by the difference in weight compared to stainless steel versions, as the company wanted the design of the CargoBike to be as light as possible. Urban Mobility wants to contribute to creating a more mobile, environmentally friendly and sustainable world. In addition, the system is compatible with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) locking system, which makes handling easier for the delivery person.