After an exciting test on the new cargo bike course at the IAA TRANSPORTATION 2024 in Hanover, the manufacturers Mubea with the Cargo Pack, Super Bicycles with the Super Mighty and the e2trail Lifter won the "International Cargobike of the Year 2024" awards. The winners have opened up new possibilities for cargo bike logistics in their respective categories, summarized LOGISTRA Head of Test + Technology and initiator Johannes Reichel on behalf of the jury: The Super Mighty brings affordability to the light class, coupled with robustness, easy handling and flexibility. The e2trail, designed according to industry standards and with powerful electrical support, enables pallet and general cargo transport by bike. The quad from Mubea transports automotive quality paired with fine handling and high practicality into the premier class. When presenting the awards, VDA Managing Director Jürgen Mindel underlined the growing importance of cargo bikes in the transport mix. This development will also be taken into account at this year's IAA, which the trade magazine LOGISTRA is using as a stage for the award for the third time.
With the renaming of the IAA TRANSPORTATION, the expansion to a platform for the entire logistics sector has been completed and explicitly included light vehicles, said Mindel. The VDA, in cooperation with the German Bicycle Logistics Association (RLVD), acted as a partner of the cargo bike award, which was initiated by the trade magazine LOGISTRA from HUSS-VERLAG in 2019. The IAA had designed an enlarged cargo bike course, which was located at the West Entrance and guaranteed a high level of attention from the trade fair audience. Visitors were also able to test the bikes of the manufacturers and the award participants on the course. In this context, the National Bicycle Logistics Conference, which was held for the fifth time on the day before the Cargobike Awards, was also fully integrated into the IAA TRANSPORTATION for the first time.
RLVD board member and juror Martin Schmidt, as a bicycle logistics expert, was delighted with the high pace of innovation and the manufacturers' enthusiasm for experimentation and sees great opportunities for cargo bikes with reliable, robust and affordable technology to make inner-city logistics low-emission and space-saving.
The award entered the new round with a strong participation of 18 candidates, particularly with a balanced line-up in all three classes. There was a lively discussion, especially about the trailers, Reichel outlined. The assessment by cargo bike experts from BG Verkehr, who got an on-site impression of the bikes' occupational safety aspects, also made its debut.
In addition to LOGISTRA editor Reichel, the jury also included bicycle logistician Thomas Schmitz from VRM CityLogistik in Mainz, bicycle logistician Martin Schmidt from Cycle Logistics in Berlin, cargo bike design specialist Satish Kumar Beella from the Hague University of Applied Sciences and Aline Künzler, bicycle courier at Veloblitz in Zurich and also consultant at “velogisch”.
IAA Cargobike Parcours Hall 13
