The automobile logic of policymakers hinders roll-out of LEVs

The Dutch mobility system is in transition. Because of the need for low-carbon transportation modes, various new vehicle types are being developed. These new vehicle types are also developed in the form of light and electric-powered vehicles (LEVs). The current regulation system around the admission of these new vehicle types is delegated by the Ministry …

Picnic: how does the Picnic real-time delivery radar work

Picnic is an online, mobile, and app-only supermarket providing affordable grocery shopping with free delivery in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Picnic respects their customers’ time and aims to provide a service reflecting that. They guarantee to deliver groceries during a one-hour delivery window selected by the customer between one day and one week ahead. …

Uber: delivery business now bigger than ride hailing business

Uber’s delivery business is now bigger than its ride hailing business. Uber on Wednesday reported widening losses even as trips and deliveries grew as driver incentives hit revenue. Uber said riders returned to its platform in greater numbers in July and it expects the trend to continue in the coming months, together with strong growth …

Amazon moving closer to its US customers

Amazon doubled down on its commitment to expand supply chain capacity on its latest earnings call. In 2020, Amazon’s capital expenditures were more than three times greater than those of Walmart. Retaildive reports about it. In 2020, Amazon upped its spending as it works to stand up more delivery stations and fulfillment centers. Amazon fulfillment …

Major British companies commit to electrifying fleets by 2030

Seven major British companies (BP, BT, Direct Line Group, Royal Mail, ScottishPower, Severn Trent, and Tesco) have joined forces to create the Electric Vehicle Fleet Accelerator (EVFA) and will work together to help accelerate the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across the UK. The companies operate some of the largest commercial vehicle fleets in …

Research: the role of incentives in zero-emission last-mile deliveries in California

Last-mile deliveries usually occur within urban areas where logistics operations increase congestion and emissions, as well as associated roadway-related health impacts. A new paper evaluates the role of incentives for zero and near-zero emission vehicle (ZEV) technologies in last-mile delivery operations. Specifically, the study investigates the total cost of ownership and life cycle environmental impacts associated with …

Research: Opportunities for integration between Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and freight transport

A new paper explores the potential integration of freight transport into a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) environment. MaaS is a user-oriented service concept providing door-to-door mobility solutions for people. It integrates services of multiple providers, enabling searching, booking, and payment through a single digital platform. Although MaaS is often presented as a great opportunity …

Research: crowdsourcing hybrid fleets

Retail firms now offer same-day delivery via hybrid fleets that augment a privately owned delivery fleet with crowdsourced assets. As research on crowdsourced delivery continues to grow, it has implicitly assumed deliveries being conducted with an entirely crowdsourced fleet. In a new study by Catello et. al., researchers adopt a sociotechnical systems perspective to consider …

Research: reviewing sustainable city logistics from a capability approach perspective

Logistics movements in cities are rapidly increasing, in 2020 even further accelerated by the lockdown measures as part of mitigating COVID-19 crisis. The growth of city logistics has its effect on the livability of cities and therefore city administrations impose sustainable urban logistics plans to reduce CO2 emissions, congestion, and noise pollution. It is, however, …