Electric vehicles for urban logistics improvement

The use of EVs for distribution of goods and public transportation together with the legislation that allows only to the logistic vehicles and public vehicles to access in the city center will have a large positive environmental effect on both noise level and pollution. With the progress of alternative powertrains that reduce local emissions to zero, urban buses can now throw in to decarbonising road transport. Without a doubt, a number of cities are already paying attention on cleaner public transport, while many bus operators are renewing their fleet or deploying low-emission vehicles. About goods trucks, they can drive directly into centrally placed distribution hubs where the last mile delivery to the shops is made with smaller EVs driving predefined routes. This approach can potentially increase the utilization of the last-mile delivery vehicles and thereby reduce their number causing lowering distribution costs. Within the i-NEXT project (Innovation for Green Energy and eXchange in Transportation) CNR TAE Institute is involved in infrastructure, logistic and vehicle development with the aim to reduce the impact of transportation on the cities and touristic areas. The proposed project, according to the European Union action plan on urban mobility, aims to support innovation in transport, by promoting a system based on sustainable mobility and RES (Renewable Energy Sources), and by acting simultaneously on improving logistics and distribution channels. The goal of the project is to create next practice solutions, offer promising opportunities for urban logistics operations, in order to become both more efficient and more environmentally sustainable.