Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV, drones) used as delivery vehicles have received increasing attention due to their mobility and accessibility to remote areas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts of drone versus motorcycle delivery and to compare the expected environmental improvements due to drone delivery in urban and rural areas. In addition, the potential environmental contributions of electric motorcycles were assessed to determine the effects of introducing this new type of vehicle. Changes in the national electricity generation plan were also examined. The results showed that global warming potential (GWP) per 1 km delivery by drone was one-sixth that of motorcycle delivery, and the particulates produced by drone delivery were half that of motorcycle delivery. The actual environmental impact reduction in consideration of the delivery distance was 13 times higher in a rural area than in an urban area. Increasing the use of environmentally friendly electricity systems, such as solar and wind power, would further enhance the environmental effects of a drone delivery system.
Highlights
Since it was first mentioned at the World Economic Forum in 2016, increased attention has focused on the fourth industrial revolution, which involves maximizing production capacity and efficiency by adding new technologies to existing industries [1,2]
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The GWP produced when delivering pizza in Yangcheon-gu was 3.51 × 10−3 kg CO2-eq using drone delivery and 2.76 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq using motorcycle delivery. These results indicate that the GWP declined by 2.41 × 10−2 kg CO2-eq when the shipping method changed from motorcycle to drone delivery
Summary
Since it was first mentioned at the World Economic Forum in 2016, increased attention has focused on the fourth industrial revolution, which involves maximizing production capacity and efficiency by adding new technologies to existing industries [1,2]. One innovative technology is adding the use of drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs) [3,4]. Drones were developed for military purposes and were mainly used as reconnaissance and assault weapons, their use has greatly expanded due to the advantage of collecting a wide range of information as they move rapidly through the sky [7,8,9]. Images taken by drones are used in sports broadcasts, documentaries, and media reports. They are even commonly used for humanitarian purposes, such as transporting vaccines in low- and middle-income countries and helping refugees migrate [10,11,12]
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