After a highly exciting finish, the Carla Cargo trailer, the Long John muli Long John muli motor and the EAV 2Cubed quad won awards at the 2023 International Cargobike of the Year Awards (CABOTY).
Following a two-stage selection process with Test Days at the Eurobike in Frankfurt along with the final judgement, the awards ceremony for the International Cargobike of the Year (CABOTY), were held at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.
British manufacturers EAV with its 2Cubed won the Heavys category, with the German muli, with its folding basket Long John muli Motor securing the Lights category. Overall, the German Carla Cargo company with its Con-Pearl body took the Trailer title and honoured with the “International Cargobike of the Year 2023”. among more than 20 candidates.
The EAV convinced the jury with a coherent package of iconic iPhone-style design, smooth and uncomplicated handling, robust volume construction and reliable drive technology with Heinzmann central axle motor. The muli Motor impressed with enormously agile and safe handling even when loaded, quiet Shimano automatic drive and, thanks to Eurobox suitability, high flexibility for commercial applications, also in combination with trailers. The Carla Cargo trailer enables the transport of volume freight by bike even without costly investments and provides a professional box system with the Con-Pearl body.
VDA Managing Director Jürgen Mindel emphasised at the award ceremony that cargo bikes play a key role on the way to climate-neutral urban logistics, which the IAA also wants to reflect. The VDA, in cooperation with the German Cycle Logistics Association (RLVD), was a partner of the 2019 Cargo Bike Award, which was initiated by the trade journal LOGISTRA from HUSS-VERLAG. The IAA MOBILITY had taken the topic into account with its own cargo bike course, where the manufacturers and participants in the award could present their products to the public.
RLVD board member, juror and cargo bike logistics expert Martin Schmidt pointed out the contribution that cargo bikes could make to the overall structure of urban logistics, not in competition, but as an intelligent, climate-friendly, high-performance and space-saving complement to vans and trucks. The aim is to work together with all participants in the transport chain to make logistics environmentally friendly.
Due to the growing market and the increasing number of participants, this year the initiators decided on a two-stage procedure with the test days at the Eurobike in Frankfurt and the final at the IAA MOBILITY in Munich, in order to do justice to the more than 20 competing products. The budding industry’s enthusiasm for innovation is unbroken, as LOGISTRA’s head of department Test+Technik and initiator of the award Johannes Reichel emphasised at the awards ceremony. The award covered a broad spectrum, but by no means the entire market. Accordingly, the selection, which was made by a jury of experts, was difficult.
In addition to LOGISTRA editor Reichel, the jury included bike logistics expert Martin Schmidt from Cycle Logistics in Berlin, bike logistics expert Thomas Schmitz from the company Radlader in Mainz, cargo bike consultant, courier and developer Aline Künzler from Veloblitz/velogisch Zurich and bike design lecturer Satish Kumar Beella from the Hague University of Applied Sciences.
The winners per class:
Light Cargobikes
- Muli Motor
- DLiWR Pulse Pro
- Larry vs. Harry eBullitt X EP8 Convoy
Heavy Cargobikes
- EAV 2Cubed
- tricargo Lademeister
- Mubea U-Mobility Cargo Pack
Bike-Trailer:
- Carla Cargo/Con-Pearl Box