Green urban logistics company Fernhay and internet service provider Vorboss yesterday launched their joint e-cargo venture called ‘CityLab’ in London.
The CityLab is a cargo bike designed to act as a mobile workspace.
It aims to streamline the work of technicians who perform on-site diagnostics and maintenance for electrical systems, water lines, and telecommunications infrastructure.
Originally designed for Vorboss’ technicians to maintain and provide fibreoptic broadband, Fernhay and Vorboss are now targeting other utility companies and city authorities who require a secure mobile workspace when conducting work in city centres.
“The CityLab is everything you can do with a van, but without the traffic, without the cost, and without the insurance,” Fernhay Chief Operating Officer Peter Schenkman told Zag Daily at the launch event in London.
“The CityLab means you don’t need to pay a $1500 fee to close the street every time you need access to a manhole cover to conduct an emergency repair, because this vehicle parks on the side.”
Weighing at 280 kilograms, the CityLab has two separate storage compartments that can be customised – one for storing tall bulky equipment for site setup, and another that acts as a ‘lab’. The lab includes lockable compartments and ergonomic work platforms that give technicians access to the tools they need on the job.
With swappable batteries, the CityLab offers a range of up to 50 kilometres and can be driven by those aged 16 and above.
CityLab’s roots
Over a period of eighteen months, London-based Vorboss has been developing the mobile workspace in-house to offer full fibreoptic splicing capabilities for its technicians in the field.
“Instead of having to drive to the chamber, then driving around for half an hour looking for a parking spot before returning to the chamber, the CityLab means we can pull up alongside where we need to work and have direct access whether on the pavement or the street,” Vorboss’ Industrial Design Lead Luke Smith explained at the event.
Having tested its own version of the CityLab – the Light Maintenance Vehicle (LMV) – on London’s Zone 1 and 2 roads, Luke said that Vorboss’ team has seen a 30% increase in efficiency due to less vehicle downtime caused by traffic, more jobs done, and lower parking costs.
“Vorboss conducted a test using this vehicle,” Peter said. “They travelled from East London to here in Broadgate with the CityLab and with a regular transit. The driver of the CityLab had time for two lattes waiting for the transit to show up.
“Vorboss bought three of these vehicles on the spot.”
Vorboss is now looking into use cases where it can replace vans with the LMV as Fernhay targets other utility companies, large estates and city authorities further afield. New York City’s Fire Department has already made a purchase and aims to use the CityLab as a non-emergency vehicle to support emergency situations.
“It’s not often you see a vehicle like the CityLab which offers the carbon savings compared with a van but also lets you work from the back of it,” Luke said.
“With regulations like Paris’ triple parking fees for SUVs, it’s getting harder and harder for bigger vehicles to enter city centres. That’s where the market opportunity lies.”
