Test Sites

Green Post is designed to function as an exchange of best practices and lessons learned in postal delivery services which utilize electric and hybrid vehicles with the full collaboration of that transport industry sector.  By replacing traditional gasoline vehicles used in mail delivery services with electric and hybrid vehicles, Green Post aims to improve energy efficiency and reduce air pollution in 4 EU Countries:  Italy, Belgium, Hungary, and Bulgaria.  The participating postal agencies are using electric and hybrid vehicles (scooters and quadricycles) to carry out their delivery activities and monitoring the cost-effectiveness of investing in green vehicles.     

Italy

Toward Green Post’s objectives, in the Italian city of Perugia, the postal service operator Poste Italiane has entirely replaced its traditional mail delivery service fleet with 57 electric and hybrid Free Duck quadricycles.
Perugia  was chosen as the site of the pilot project because it represents a severe test for the vehicles due to:

- Its meteorological variability and weather conditions, which cause a high degree of thermal stress; and

- The city’s conformation and the irregular conditions of most of its downtown streets (paved with pave’), which create a significant amount of mechanical stress  

An electronic, consumption-monitoring system (recharge stations and control software) has been implemented to evaluate the energy efficiency of the vehicles and, at the same time, provide the precise data necessary to produce an energy/environmental/economic impact assessment.
 

The project will be replicated in 14 other Italian cities: Bologna, Bolzano, Capri, Firenze, Lipari, Milano, Padova, Siracusa, Roma, Taormina, Torino, Treviso, Udine and Verona.  Toward these ends, an additional 80 Free Duck vehicles have been purchased and will be delivered to the aforementioned cities.

Links:  C.I.R.I.A.F. - InterUniversity Research Center of Perugia - http://www.unipg.it/~cotana/mainciriaf.htm

Belgium

In keeping with Green Post’s overall objective of promoting a sustainable mail delivery service through the use of electric and hybrid vehicles, the Belgian postal operator De Post/La Poste is participating in the project using two kinds of vehicles:

-  Free Duck quadricycles operating in Bruges’  city centre, a place of significant historical and artistic value;

- The Oxygen Post-Scooter - in which case the national fleet totals 50 vehicles that are being tested all over the country in order to assess their performance in a wide range of climatic and geographical conditions.  At this moment, the 50 Oxygen scooters, spread over 4 regions in Belgium, are being used in various geographical conditions. The usage/activity of these vehicles is similar to that of an ordinary scooter employed in mail delivery in order to compare the performance results of the Oxygen with those of traditional vehicles.

Bruges known as the Venice of the North, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

It was a justified motive that prompted UNESCO in 2000 to include the entire historical city centre on the World Heritage list. Walking along the maze of winding cobbled alleys and romantic canals, you imagine yourself to be in medieval times. The wealth of museums is a striking image of this city's stirring history.

Many of its medieval buildings are notable, including the Church of Our Lady, whose brick spire reaches 122.3 m (401.25 ft), making it one of the world's highest brick towers/buildings. The sculpture Madonna and Child, which can be seen in the transept, is believed to be Michelangelo's only sculpture to have left Italy within his lifetime.

Bruges' most famous landmark is its 13th-century belfry, housing a municipal carillon comprising 48 bells. Other famous buildings in Bruges include:

• - The Beguinage
• - The Basilica of the Holy Blood. The relic of the Holy Blood, which was brought to the city after the Second Crusade by Thierry of Alsace, is paraded every year through the streets of the city. More  than 1,600 inhabitants take part in this mile-long religious procession, many dressed as medieval knights or crusaders.
• - The Old St-John's Hospital
• - The Saint Salvator's Cathedral
• - The Groeningemuseum
• - The City Hall
• - The preserved old city gateways.

Bruges also has a very fine collection of medieval and early modern art, including the world-famous collection of Flemish Primitives. Various masters, such as Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck, lived and worked in Bruges. Bruges is also home to contemporary culture, such as the new Concert Hall, which is one of the most prominent music complexes in Flanders. The restaurants in Bruges which offer gastronomic ciusine, Belgian chocolate and exclusive hotels are a true feast for those who enjoy the good things in life.

Hungary

The Hungarian postal service operator Magyar Posta is testing 6 Free Duck vehicles for mail delivery in Szentendre, near Budapest.  Like the Italian city of Perugia, Szentendre is an historical and artistic centre and, at the same time, represents a hard mechanical test for the vehicles due to its conformation and the irregular conditions of most of its downtown streets (paved with pavé).

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the University of  Rousse is using one Free Duck electric quadricycle to travel on its campus and to promote the Green Post project at seminars and road shows.

Rousse is the largest Bulgarian city on the Danube river. Now Rousse is not only a place of rich and long lasting historical and cultural traditions linking us to our European heritage, but also a busy industrial, economic and cultural centre. Rousse is located on the right bank of the Danube, which is the high bank, having three river terraces. The urban area is an approximately 11-Km ellipse running along the river. Rousse has an extensive public transport system including around 30 bus and trolleybus lines.

Links:  University of Rousse/Ruse  http://www.uni-ruse.bg/en/rousse.php