Swap it like it's hot: New climate technologies are improving delivery efficiency

Transportation is responsible for approximately 16% of global emissions and is a major contributor to pollution, traffic congestion, and noise in cities worldwide. As European cities ramp up efforts to meet their emission reduction targets, the pressure is on also for companies to innovate and reinvent themselves. There is a real need for more sustainable technologies that not only cut emissions but also enhance efficiency in last-mile delivery. If you want to know more about the challenges urban logistics and mobility in general are facing, check out our recent blog post. 

“Our vision for climate action is to drive big reductions to emissions across our operations and deliveries. And we'll do it while delivering almost anything you can imagine, faster to your doorstep. Speeding up the transition to EVs isn't just about Wolt, this is about making cities better, designing our infrastructure and systems for people and not the other way around,” said Jamie Saab, Global Head of Sustainability at Wolt.

One of the main barriers for courier partners to switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is range anxiety. That means they’re worried that the battery range of an EV isn’t enough to deliver all of the orders they want to without having to take a few hours of their day sitting at a charging station. What would solve this problem? Well… swappable batteries of course!

Together with GoCiklo, we have been running a pilot in Stockholm, Sweden, to make this new technology available (and affordable!) to our courier partners. The GoCiklo e-mopeds are basically your regular electric moped but with a twist: instead of charging the battery, you swap it for another, fully charged battery at conveniently located swap stations throughout the city. Swapping batteries is as easy as placing an order on the Wolt app and only takes about ten seconds!

“With over 70 000 battery swaps without any incidents, we can confidently say that our solution works and is efficient for fleets, even in the Nordic winter conditions,” said Mattias Tingvall, CEO of GoCiklo. “We are now looking forward to expanding our solution to more cities across Europe.”

Wolt’s courier partners in Stockholm are already doing well over 1000 battery swaps per month, and the feedback has been really positive.

There are definitely many benefits. Swappable batteries allow for quick battery changes, minimizing downtime for the couriers. This boosts productivity and ensures more efficient deliveries. And since batteries can be easily swapped out, e-scooters and other vehicles can be designed smaller and lighter, improving their maneuverability in often congested urban environments, which is key for last-mile logistics. 

GoCiklo has been setting up these swapping stations all over Stockholm, so there won’t ever be battery range problems – not even in wintery Sweden! The locations have been strategically mapped out according to frequently visited and optimal locations for courier partners so no time is wasted going out of the way to a swap station. Centralized charging stations can also enable better energy management, optimizing charging during off-peak hours and reducing grid strain. This makes the approach more energy-efficient compared to direct charging on the go.

GoCiklo is just one of many promising climate and transport technology companies that Wolt has been collaborating with to reduce transport emissions and improve urban logistics. We’re currently piloting dozens of different programs across our 27 markets. And we’re just getting started!