Popular Japanese curry house CoCo Ichibanya is putting these delivery trikes to good use.
Electric two and three-wheelers are literally changing the way of life in several countries across Asia and Europe. Being from the Philippines, I witness this change unfolding every single day. Just recently, I had my lunch delivered to me by a dude on an e-bike, when otherwise it would be a gas-powered scooter or motorbike rider handling deliveries. Indeed, the lower running costs and accessibility of LEVs is simply unbeatable.
In Japan, where the demand for take-out and home delivery has skyrocketed in recent years, food service establishments have had to ramp up their delivery efforts to better serve consumers. You may be familiar with the popular curry house CoCo Ichibanya. With branches spread across the globe, the company has made Japanese curry accessible to people from all walks of life. Well, in Japan, the company recently took delivery of a fleet of new cargo electric trikes fro Aidea called the AA Cargo.
With more than 1,200 stores across Japan, the new Aidea AA Cargo e-trikes not only make delivering fresh curry to urban and rural areas much more convenient, they also preserve the freshness and quality of the food. Unlike gas-powered delivery scooters, the AA Cargo doesn’t need to undergo periodic maintenance as frequently, as there isn’t any oil to change, spark plugs to swap out, or fuel to load up. Instead, all you need to do is charge them up before opening hours, and with a range of around 60 miles on a single charge, you’re pretty much set for the whole day.
In an article by Japanese automotive publication Young Machine, Hiroaki Sato, the owner of a CoCo Ichibanya branch in Chuo-dori, explained that his store receives 60 to 70 delivery orders per day. With the average distance per delivery being around six or seven kilometers from the store, the fleet of AA Cargo trikes allows him to streamline his delivery schedule and save a lot of operational expenses in the process. Furthermore, the AA Cargo’s cute appearance as well as its vibrant CoCo Ichibanya livery makes it double as a rolling billboard, alerting more and more locals to the presence of the popular curry house.
Last but not least, machines like the AA Caro are better able to preserve the freshness of delicate meals like curries and soups, as these machines don’t have any vibrations from the engine. While they are indeed subject to road imperfections like all other road-going vehicles, their ultra smooth and silent operation makes them ideal for use in densely populated urban regions wherein roads are well-maintained and manicured.
Apart from CoCo Ichibanya, Aidea has made its AA Cargo electric trikes available to other industry leaders that keep Japan’s gears turning. Companies like Japan Post, DHL, and McDonalds have all adopted these electric three-wheelers to optimize their day-to-day activities.