Dive Brief:
This summer Boston is launching an e-cargo bike pilot program that focuses on deliveries to and from small businesses which it calls the first of its kind in the U.S.

The 18-month e-cargo bike pilot the city planned with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council received nearly $493,000 in funding through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and the state’s Department of Energy Resources, part of the $5 million in state funding that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced earlier this month for equitable clean transportation projects in the state. According to the mayor’s office, city funds will nearly double the total funding for the program.

In an email, the Boston mayor’s office said the pilot program “gives Boston an opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion on our streets, all while making them safer for drivers and pedestrians alike.”