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Decarbonisation of Urban Freight Transport Using Electric Vehicles and Opportunity Charging

Author

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  • Tharsis Teoh

    (Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Oliver Kunze

    (Resource and Risk Management, Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences, 89231 Neu-Ulm, Germany)

  • Chee-Chong Teo

    (School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore)

  • Yiik Diew Wong

    (School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore)

Abstract

The high costs of using electric vehicles (EVs) is hindering wide-spread adoption of an EV-centric decarbonisation strategy for urban freight transport. Four opportunity charging (OC) strategies—during breaks and shift changes, during loading activity, during unloading activity, or while driving on highways—are evaluated towards reducing EV costs. The study investigates the effect of OC on the lifecycle costs and carbon dioxide emissions of four cases of different urban freight transport operations. Using a parametric vehicle model, the weight and battery capacity of operationally suitable fleets were calculated for ten scenarios (i.e., one diesel vehicle scenario, two EV scenarios without OC, and seven EV scenarios with four OC strategies and two charging technology types). A linearized energy consumption model sensitive to vehicle load was used to calculate the fuel and energy used by fleets for the transport operations. OC was found to significantly reduce lifecycle costs, and without any strong negative influence on carbon dioxide emissions. Other strong influences on lifecycle costs are the use of inductive technology, extension of service lifetime, and reduction of battery price. Other strong influences on carbon dioxide emissions are the use of inductive technology and the emissions factors of electricity production.

Suggested Citation

  • Tharsis Teoh & Oliver Kunze & Chee-Chong Teo & Yiik Diew Wong, 2018. "Decarbonisation of Urban Freight Transport Using Electric Vehicles and Opportunity Charging," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:9:p:3258-:d:169342
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    17. Wang, Hui & Han, Jiaying & Su, Min & Wan, Shulin & Zhang, Zhenchao, 2021. "The relationship between freight transport and economic development: A case study of China," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    18. Magdalena Mucowska, 2021. "Trends of Environmentally Sustainable Solutions of Urban Last-Mile Deliveries on the E-Commerce Market—A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-26, May.
    19. Bram Kin & Meike Hopman & Hans Quak, 2021. "Different Charging Strategies for Electric Vehicle Fleets in Urban Freight Transport," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-18, November.
    20. Sergio Maria Patella & Gianluca Grazieschi & Valerio Gatta & Edoardo Marcucci & Stefano Carrese, 2020. "The Adoption of Green Vehicles in Last Mile Logistics: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-29, December.
    21. Oliwia Pietrzak & Krystian Pietrzak, 2021. "The Economic Effects of Electromobility in Sustainable Urban Public Transport," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-28, February.
    22. Goel, Pooja & Kumar, Aalok & Parayitam, Satyanarayana & Luthra, Sunil, 2023. "Understanding transport users' preferences for adopting electric vehicle based mobility for sustainable city: A moderated moderated-mediation model," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    23. Mengke Li & Yongkui Shi & Meiyan Li, 2023. "Solving the Vehicle Routing Problem for a Reverse Logistics Hybrid Fleet Considering Real-Time Road Conditions," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, March.
    24. Zhangyuan He & Hans-Dietrich Haasis, 2019. "Integration of Urban Freight Innovations: Sustainable Inner-Urban Intermodal Transportation in the Retail/Postal Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-25, March.

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