One out of four delivery vans in cities are for installation, repair and maintenance work by engineers; often still diesel. That is why the universities of applied sciences of Amsterdam (AUAS), Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN) are starting a two-year research project into the use of electric vehicles in service logistics.
As more and more cities strive for emission-free city logistics in 2025, it is time for sustainable alternatives. Twenty partners from practice, including field service companies, participate in this ‘Gas on electric’ study. Although these companies are increasingly engaged in sustainable technologies, such as the installation of solar panels and charging stations, their own fleet is often not sustainable yet. Dick Geelen of service company Unica: “We are increasingly associated with sustainability through the climate goals. Then you cannot actually arrive at the customer with your smelly diesel van.”
Zero emission transport is already possible but is not yet being applied on a large scale in service logistics. The project maps the current situation and bottlenecks. Service engineers now indicate, for example, that the range of electric transport is not yet sufficient. This research project combines knowledge of logistics processes, energy supply (smart charging) and the social adoption of innovation.
For this research, the AUAS received a RAAK Mkb subsidy from Regieorgaan SIA, part of science funding NWO. With this subsidy, SIA hopes to promote knowledge exchange between colleges and SMEs with the aim of increasing the innovative capacity of these companies.
Consortium partners: Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Hogeschool van Arnhem and Nijmegen, Techniek Nederland, DOET, Baars Engineering, Easy Go Electric, Fietsdiensten.nl, Fleetkennis, Charge point The Netherlands, Urban Arrow, PSA Group.
Service companies: ENGIE, Unica, Heijmans
Other partners: Vrije Universiteit, CityServiceBike, Juizz, Guidion, the city of Amsterdam
For more information click here.