Micro-EV trucks gaining a foothold in the New York City delivery service scene
NEW YORK -- City drivers are making space in traffic for micro-electric vehicles, also known as auto rickshaws.
More and more are being used for deliveries, and that's not all.
Zipping around Manhattan in a micro-EV gets you stared at. For example, CBS New York recently saw people doing double-takes at a tiny electric delivery truck.
"This is a revolution of the Tuk-Tuk, or rickshaws, back in India," said Junior Lucena, business development manager for Biliti Electric. "Reducing the traffic, helping congestion, reducing emissions."
Biliti Electric is gaining a foothold in the U.S.
"IKEA and Amazon in India have already partnered and purchased a bunch of these," Lucena said.
Three micro-EV trucks can replace a standard box truck for deliveries. One particular model is three-wheeled, 9 feet long, 50 inches wide and a little under 6 feet tall.
"These are phenomenal downtown where the streets are very hard to get to. You have a lot of issues with traffic officers' vehicles going in there and constantly receiving tickets, so alone in a year will make up the cost of one of these," Lucena said.
Concerns from the public include where to charge batteries and do it safely, and keeping them in vehicle traffic lanes, away from pedestrians and bicyclists.
"As long as they're not in the bike lane, I'm happy for that," said Debbie Cohn-Orbach, a Hell's Kitchen resident.
"It would make sense. Go smaller," added Greg Russell of Hell's Kitchen.
Expect to see more of them around New York City and not just for making deliveries. The small EVs also become food trucks and are used for rolling advertising.
City Council member Gale Brewer said she likes what she sees so far.
"It's a new thing, but it's environmentally correct. It's just where to store them, where to charge them, where do you charge, and making sure there's good education that goes with them," Brewer said.
So, it's time to adjust your mirrors, drivers, to see what could be the city's next big thing -- rolling out in a very small package.