BSH Netherlands is constantly thinking about sustainable solutions. Also on the road. Head of Field Servicemanagement Jan Haring "We are constantly investing in making our fleet more sustainable. Back in 2017, Field Service colleagues drove the first electric service buses. Now, six years later, the fleet of electric service buses has expanded to no less than 53 electric service buses!” The aim is to have 70 electric service buses on the road by the end of 2024. And that is not all. Almost all our management drive electric. In total we have 50 electric business cars and 2 hybrids.

BSH Netherlands continues to search for new and sustainable solutions to serve consumers in the best possible way. Because more and more city centres in the Netherlands are difficult to access by/for vans like BSH's. Behold the SunRider: the unique cargo e-bike with solar cells that the Customer Service division of BSH Netherlands is trying out for a year for visiting consumers in busy city centres.

You don't need to tell Marcel van der Loos, Head of Supply Chain within BSH Netherlands, much about the importance of sustainability. He is one of the initiators behind the purchase of the first SunRider, a self-charging and thus advanced cargo e-bike. The SunRider's solar panels automatically charge the battery, so never without power, and the cargo space is large enough to carry all the tools and parts needed for repairs at consumers' homes.Marcel instantly fell in love with the electric cargo bike on their first encounter. "The concept of the SunRider appealed not only to me, but also to many colleagues. We think it will allow us to improve our service and make it more sustainable in busy city centres." For now, this is a one-year trial with one SunRider. "Who knows, maybe more will follow after that."

Will the cargo e-bike ever replace the 124 traditional service buses (52 of which are electric)? Marcel: "No. It is an addition and intended for areas that are difficult to reach even for electric service buses due to congestion or laws and regulations. Then the SunRider is a sustainable solution." As for those regulations, as many as 30 cities in the Netherlands are working on emission-free zones, i.e. areas where vehicles running on petrol or diesel are banned.

It is remarkable how quickly an idea in the minds of a few BSH employees led to the presentation of the SunRider earlier this year and the start of the pilot on 1 April. Apart from Marcel, Jan Haring and Gert-Jan Hollestelle, respectively head of field servicemanagement, head of field service region and Josje Mosies, head of service marketing, enthusiastically collaborated. Thus, a trial balloon became a reality very quickly.