Cargo Cycles Research Articles

Suitable solutions and EU regulatory framework of electric light mobility vehicles for last-mile delivery: an overview

Due to current environmental European regulations in terms of pollutant emissions, electric cargo cycles are receiving growing interest compared to heavy-duty vehicles as a cheaper and healthier alternative for last-mile delivery of goods in urban and suburban areas. Within the PNRR Next Generation EU program, the Sustainable Mobility Center aims to design innovative e-cargo bikes considering technical features along with rider behaviour and infrastructure characteristics. The market offers plenty of solutions, which may differ in technical and design features. Nowadays a standardized terminology, widely shared among researchers for those light mobility vehicles does not exist. Several authors employ different terms or introduce classifications based upon the vehicle type of use or even on the vehicle layout (e.g., payload position or number of wheels). Concurrently, EU regulatory framework is undergoing rapid changes and appears unclear. Certain categories of light mobility vehicles might be ruled out from the type-approval system established by the regulation EU 168/2013. For those vehicles, harmonised standards are under drafting or approval. This situation requires a considerable effort among manufacturers in the identification of the proper product directives or regulations and the associated mandatory requirements and testing procedures for the introduction of a new vehicle model in the market. Within this context, an overview of the EU regulatory framework for these light mobility vehicles is presented. A literature evaluation with a structured and coded methodology of scientific databases, company websites and commercial reports is performed, evaluating commercial and prototype solutions of e-cargo bikes from a technical and legislative perspective. Furthermore, a case study is addressed, deepening the national legislation which rules the use of e-cargo bikes in Italy. The information provided in this work may be useful among manufacturers as a starting point for the design process of these types of vehicles. Moreover, this paper lays the foundations for a widely recognized taxonomy of e-cargo bikes based upon distinctive features.

Operational performance of light electric freight vehicles in the last mile: two Nordic case studies

PurposeTo assess the introduction and performance of light electric freight vehicles (LEFVs), more specifically cargo cycles in major 3PL organizations in at least two Nordic countries.Design/methodology/approachCase studies. Interviews. Company data on performance before as well as after the introduction. Study of differing business models as well as operational setups.FindingsThe results from the studied cases show that LEFVs can compete with conventional vans in last mile delivery operations of e-commerce parcels. We account for when this might be the case, during which circumstances and why.Research limitations/implicationsInherent limitations of the case study approach, specifically on generalization. Future research to include more public–private partnership and multi-actor approach for scalability.Practical implicationsAdding to knowledge on the public sector facilitation necessary to succeed with implementation and identifying cases in which LEFVs might offer efficiency gains over more traditional delivery vehicles.Originality/valueOne novelty is the access to detailed data from before the implementation of new vehicles and the data after the implementation. A fair comparison is made possible by the operational structure, area of delivery, number of customers, customer density, type of packages, and to some extent, the number of packages being quite similar. Additionally, we provide data showing how city hubs can allow cargo cycles to work synergistically with delivery vans. This is valuable information for organizations thinking of trying LEFVs in operations as well as municipalities/local authorities that are interested.

Multi-criteria assessment and ranking framework for the potential of cargo cycle operation: Using New York city as an example

Making deliveries in crowded urban areas can be challenging for commercial vehicles, producing additional negative externalities. In recent years, cargo cycles, including bicycles and tricycles, either man-powered or electric-powered, are considered as a promising alternative for making last leg delivery. However, research on this mode is largely lacking. This research proposes a multi-criteria assessment framework to evaluate the potential index of implementing cargo cycles, using New York City (NYC) as an example. The new framework integrates consideration of both the supply and the demand sides. Cargo cycle network density, linkage ratio, circuitry, and topography are all considered. The paper also redefines accessibility and incorporates land-use patterns and freight demand factors into the assessment for the first time. A multi-criteria ranking process is developed to derive road network potential by considering all dimensions of measurements. The results from this work show the ideal places for cargo cycle operations, and can be used to guide the planning of cargo cycle system implementation, promoting sustainable freight transportation in metropolitan areas.

Sustainable Transportation Networks Incorporating Green Modes for Urban Freight Delivery

The sustainability of transportation networks is threatened by growing amounts of emissions generated by vehicles. Urban freight delivery is one of the major sources of these emissions. Cargo cycles are attracting increasing attention for urban delivery owing to their numerous benefits, such as being less pollutant, requiring less space on roads, and high maneuverability. Electric vans have also been proposed as another green mode of freight delivery with a larger delivery capacity and range relative to cargo cycles. In this study, urban freight delivery is targeted through a heterogeneous fleet vehicle routing problem. The proposed framework is used to capture the optimal configuration of a mixed freight delivery fleet offering cargo cycles (i.e., pedal-assisted bikes and trikes as well as electric bikes and trikes) alongside the often-used diesel or gasoline vans or small trucks and electric vans. The formulated problem aims to minimize the delivery costs for companies, including maintenance, purchase, fuel, and labor costs and noise and emission taxes. The methodological contribution of this study is to develop a new metaheuristic algorithm, based on variable neighborhood search and simulated annealing, that finds a better solution with up to 7% lower objective function value and 50% to 80% lower solution times relative to the existing approaches in the literature. This study also demonstrates that bikes and trikes are selected at short delivery distances in the Chicago downtown network. Electric vans are more suitable for large distances, while cargo vans are selected for medium distances. Imposing an emission tax would change the model from cargo vans to electric vans. The results also show that increasing tax levels does not necessarily reduce societal costs because the delivery company tends to maintain its profit margin by increasing delivery costs for customers.

Methodology for the feasibility assessment of an eco-transfer system

With outdated parking space, land use and curbside management practices rampant in dense urban areas, researchers and practitioners over the past decade have proposed several innovative schemes to encourage a shift in urban delivery and logistics behavior. The success of such schemes, however, has proven more challenging than anticipated, as it depends on accounting for a myriad of factors. This research proposes a methodology to assess the feasibility of implementing a successful Eco-Transfer System (ETS) initiative. An ETS consists of transfer locations for transferring goods between large vehicles and sustainable city-scaled modes, such as cargo cycles and hand carts, for urban delivery. The methodology considers a supply–demand quantification, together with a study on market conditions and infrastructure requirements, as well as a legal framework investigation. The methodology was used for the case of New York City (NYC). The results indicate that an Eco-Transfer System in NYC could be implemented successfully under certain conditions. The city has features, such as its geography and demand, that are appropriate for the system to succeed. The market conditions also foreshadow its success. In addition, the authors identify opportunities concerning stakeholder engagement.

Purchase intention and actual purchase of cargo cycles: Influencing factors and policy insights

To support the penetration of cargo cycles in commercial transport, this research aims at identifying the significant influencing factors for their purchase, using data from Europe’s largest cargo cycle testing project “Ich entlaste Städte”. This is achieved by developing binary logit models for the intention to purchase (stated at the end of a 3-month vehicle trial), and the actual purchase decision made (queried three months or later, after the end of the trial). Prior to the estimation of the logit models, latent variables have been constructed using explanatory factor analysis. Based on the estimation results, factors that influence the actual purchase decision include catchment area of cargo cycle trips, daily usage during the trial phase, trial phase season, type of cargo cycle tested, mode substituted by cargo cycles during the trial phase and business sector. Furthermore, four other factors, which are latent variables constructed through exploratory factor analysis, are found to have significant influence: perception of operational, soft and cost benefits, as well as importance of deterioration of conditions for conventional vehicles. Based on the influence of these factors, policy measures are suggested under the following categories: (i) Regulation, (ii) Infrastructure, (iii) Finance, (iv) Campaigns and (v) Trial schemes. The data from the project shows the existence of a difference between the intention and the actual purchase decision (around 50% higher intent compared to realized purchase). This implies that there is a need to convert intention to actual decision, when making conclusions based on intention. A comparison, made between the binary logit models of intention and actual purchase decision, brings out the reality that the latter is influenced by hard facts like the deteriorating conditions (e.g., vehicle access restrictions) for conventional vehicles, while the former is influenced by operational concerns towards cargo cycles. This observation suggests the necessity of formulating measures to foster the market penetration of cargo cycles.

Electric cargo cycles - A comprehensive review

Electric cargo cycles (E-cargo cycles) have the potential to reduce the negative impacts of transportation systems, when utilised for the right application. There is a growing literature pertaining to them, especially for commercial transport. It is essential to have a comprehensive outlook of the prevailing literature to synthesise the existing knowledge base. Therefore, this work comprehensively consolidates the studies in the growing field of E-cargo cycles. The primary focus is on commercial transport. However, insights obtained from the very limited number of studies pertaining to private transport is also presented. Within commercial transport, the focus is on typology, penetration, impacts, and operational and policy requirements. The typology is developed based on (i) Trip type, (ii) Network configuration, and (iii) Fleet composition. The factors influencing the penetration of E-cargo cycles are identified and classified into six groups, namely (i) Operation, (ii) Vehicular, (iii) Infrastructural, (iv) Workforce, (v) Organisational, and (vi) Policy. Furthermore, the impacts of E-cargo cycles are categorised as (i) Economic, (ii) Environmental, (iii) Societal, (iv) Traffic and safety, (v) Operational, and (vi) Governance. Besides, factors that influence the impact on cost-of-using E-cargo cycles are found and grouped under (i) Customer, (ii) Operator, and (iii) Policy maker. To facilitate the selection of network configuration and fleet composition, when beginning to utilise E-cargo cycles, a simplified decision making scheme is provided. Policy requirements discussed in the pertinent literature are also described and categorised as (i) Regulatory, (ii) Incentive, (iii) Infrastructural, and (iv) Awareness creation. Finally, a typology is provided for private transport, along with a summary on penetration and impacts.

Localization of Relevant Urban Micro-Consolidation Centers for Last-Mile Cargo Bike Delivery Based on Real Demand Data and City Characteristics

The use of cargo cycles for last-mile parcel distribution requires urban micro-consolidation centers (UMC). We develop an approach to localize suitable locations for UMCs with the consideration of three criteria: demand, land use, and type of road. The analysis considers metric levels (demand), linguistic levels (land use), and cardinal levels (type of road). The land-use category is divided into commercial, residential, mixed commercial and residential, and others. The type of road category is divided into bicycle road, pedestrian zone, oneway road, and traffic-calmed road. The approach is a hybrid multi-criteria analysis combining an Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and PROMETHEE methods. We apply the approach to the city center of Stuttgart in Germany, using real demand data provided by a large logistics service provider. We compared different scenarios weighting the criteria differently with DART software. The different weight allocation results in different numbers of required UMCs and slightly different locations. This research was able to develop, implement, and successfully apply the proposed approach. In subsequent steps, stakeholders such as logistics companies and cities should be involved at all levels of this approach to validate the selected criteria and depict the “weight” of each criterion.

Collaborative Parcels Logistics via the Carrier’s Carrier Operating Model

Parcel logistics in urban areas are characterized by many carriers undertaking similar activity patterns at the same times of day. Using substantial carrier manifest datasets, this paper demonstrates advantages from rival carriers collaborating using a “carrier’s carrier” operating model for their last-mile parcel logistics operations. Under these circumstances, a single carrier undertakes all the deliveries within a defined area on behalf of the carriers instead of them working independently. Modelling the daily delivery activity of five parcel carriers working over a 3.7 km2area of central London, comprising around 3000 items being delivered to around 900 delivery locations, and consolidating their activity through a single carrier suggested that time, distance and associated vehicle emissions savings of around 60% could be achieved over the current business-as-usual operation. This equated to a reduction in the number of delivery vans and drivers needed from 33 to 13, with annual savings of 39,425 h, 176,324 km driven, 52,721 kg CO2and 56.4 kg NOx. Reliance on vans and associated vehicle emissions could be reduced further by using cargo cycles alongside vans for the last-mile delivery, with estimated annual emissions savings increasing to 72,572 kg CO2and 77.7 kg NOx. The results indicated that consolidation of items for delivery in this way would be especially beneficial to business-to-consumer (B2C) carriers whose parcel profiles comprise relatively small and light items. One of the key barriers to the wider take up of such services by individual carriers is the loss of individual brand identity that can result from operating through a carrier’s carrier.

Drivers and barriers for the adoption of cargo cycles: An exploratory factor analysis

A variety of drivers and barriers for the adoption of cargo cycles has been described in contemporary academic literature. This paper aims at reducing this complexity by identifying their underlying factor structure. To achieve this aim, 389 organizations interested in cargo cycles rated their agreement towards the adoption of cargo cycles with 23 literature-derived drivers and barriers. An exploratory factor analysis yielded three driver factors (soft factors, cost benefits and urban advantages) and four barrier factors (vehicle limitations, worries and perils, riders’ concerns and infrastructure constraints) which are interpreted and discussed.

Travel Time Differences between Cargo Cycles and Cars in Commercial Transport Operations

Cargo cycles are gaining more interest among commercial users from different business sectors, and they compete with cars in urban commercial transport. Though many studies show the potential of cargo cycles, there is still a reluctance to deploy them. One possible reason for this is the lack of knowledge regarding their suitability in relation to travel time. Therefore, this study aims to explore cargo cycles’ travel time performance by quantifying the travel time differences between them and conventional vehicles for commercial trips. The authors compare real-life trip data from cargo cycles with Google’s routed data for cars. By doing this, the authors explore the factors affecting the travel time difference and propose a model to estimate this difference. The attributes for the model were selected keeping in mind the ease of obtaining values for the variables. Results indicate cycling trip distance to be the most significant variable. The study shows that expected travel time difference for trips with distances between 0 and 20 km (12.4 mi) ranges from -5 min (cargo cycle 5 min faster) to 40 min with a median of 6 min. This value can decrease if users take the optimal cycling route and the traffic conditions are worse for cars. Although what is an acceptable amount of travel time difference depends on the user, practitioners can be certain of the travel time difference they can expect, which enables them to assess the suitability of cargo cycles for their commercial operations.

Perception of Drivers and Barriers in the Adoption of Cargo Cycles by Private and Public Organizations in Germany

Perception of Drivers and Barriers in the Adoption of Cargo Cycles by Private and Public Organizations in Germany

Cargo cycles for local delivery in New York City: Performance and impacts

This study aimed to evaluate the operating performance of human-powered cargo cycles compared to motorized delivery vehicles for local delivery in Manhattan, New York City (NYC) in the United States of America (USA). While many recent studies have more broadly examined cost and impact tradeoffs in the use of cargo cycles for last-mile parcel delivery, the primary focus of this study was to understand how human-powered cargo cycle moving and parking behaviors differ from those of motorized vehicles in NYC. The study employed spatial and statistical analysis methods to directly estimate traffic performance measures using GPS data collected from two local operators. Traffic operating characteristics - including corridor travel speeds, trip delays, delivery times, and travel distances were examined to compare goods movements and parking behaviors for each vehicle type. Street and parking space, CO2, and particulate matter emissions savings were also estimated for alternate urban delivery vehicle replacement scenarios for one of the participating operators. Overall, results from this study suggest that cargo cycles can provide environmental benefits and offer a competitive last-mile delivery option for some local operators in very congested cities like NYC.

Cargo cycles in commercial transport: Potentials, constraints, and recommendations

Cargo cycles can play a significant role in supplying urban centers, helping to decrease harmful commercial transport externalities. Some companies have already carried out initial pilot schemes using cargo cycles in order to assess technologically and economically feasible use cases. However, a structural overview of the relevant market segments for commercial cargo cycle use and suitable recommendations is lacking. This paper provides results from an extensive empirical survey, based on desk research and 45 expert interviews with corporate fleet managers, urban planners, and representatives from municipalities and bicycle associations. Hidden potentials can be found not only in logistics industries, but also in businesses offering home deliveries and other services. Insight into drivers, constraints and companies' requirements allows recommendations to be derived for municipalities to stimulate cargo cycles' market penetration. These recommendations address regulative frameworks, strategic urban planning, infrastructure adjustments, testing programs, collaborations with the private sector, platforms for knowledge transfer, and the use of cargo cycles by public authorities.

Evaluating the impacts of using cargo cycles on urban logistics: integrating traffic, environmental and operational boundaries

IntroductionEuropean Commission has promoted actions and policies with the aim of reducing the negative impacts on traffic and environment caused by city logistics. One increasingly popular measure is the use of cargo bikes in city logistics due to their improved energy efficiency, lower emissions and lower traffic disturbance. The paper assess the impacts of electric cargo bikes, from a public policy perspective and, simultaneously, taking into account variables that cover the urban logistics operators’ interests. Under a public policy perspective, the considered variables evaluate mobility, environmental impacts and indirectly, the quality of life. In terms of private interests, the studied variables cover costs levels (operation and driving) and efficiency. This evaluation aims at clarifying if electric cargo bikes can indeed represent a sustainable mobility policy under specific boundaries, by leading to better environmental and social impacts and not hindering the operational efficiency of urban logistics activities.MethodsFor that purpose, the measurement of the traffic key performance indicators, as well as of Well-to-Wheel energy and CO2 emission savings is performed allowing to quantify mobility, reliability and operational efficiency indicators. Several scenarios related with the introduction of electric cargo bikes replacing conventional vans were assessed and evaluated in order to compare the effects of different market shares in the mobility of the studied area located in Porto (Portugal). Acknowledging the short distance range of cargo bikes, the simulation is carried out and an estimation of the total transportation cost is performed, which includes transport and emission cost when the vehicle is driving, emission cost while idling and labor cost.ResultsThe main conclusion is that cargo bikes can replace up to 10% of the conventional vans in areas with maximum linear distances of about 2 km, without changing the overall network efficiency. Additionally, urban logistics WTW CO2 emission impacts can be reduced by up to 73%, which represents 746 kg of CO2 avoided emissions. Furthermore, the introduction of electric cargo bikes in urban logistics activities has positive effects for all the vehicle categories and all the scenarios, reaching up to 25% of reductions in external costs.ConclusionsAs a result, cargo bikes implemented at the appropriate spatial scale within the city can be a sustainable solution for urban logistics, depending on a prior delimitation of the conditions and adequate implementation strategy, to guarantee that it actually leads to improvements in terms of mobility, environment, energy, running costs and externalities.

The good impacts of biking for goods: Lessons from Paris city

This paper seeks to assess the growing usage of bicycles and tricycles for commercial goods movement in Paris city and the resulting transport externality savings between 2001 and 2014. Results from an original survey of nine couriers and delivery companies are presented to quantify new commercial goods movements via human-powered or electrically-assisted bicycles or cargo cycles. After identifying growth in cycle freight volumes and the modes by which these trips previously moved, congestion, CO2, local pollutant, and noise savings are estimated and valued.

Economic Analysis of Cargo Cycles for Urban Mail Delivery

Freight constitutes a large portion of urban daily traffic, contributing to emissions, noise, and safety concerns. Moreover, urban freight logistics are often hindered by the last mile, characterized by significant delays and high delivery costs. Firms in dense urban areas are therefore seeking more efficient and reliable modes for their last-mile services. One mode that has been gaining widespread interest is the cargo cycle. Current research on cargo cycles is limited; however, their success in effectively delivering urban goods is gaining recognition. An examination was done of the economic feasibility of using different types of cargo cycles in varying urban contexts. A case study that assessed replacing the U.S. Postal Service vehicles with cargo cycles for last-mile mail deliveries in three population densities is presented. With the use of existing depots, the results of the case study indicate that electric cargo trikes have the lowest net present value among the modes in congested areas with high population densities such as central business districts. Moreover, having a depot positioned within the delivery area was found to play a significant role in increasing the competitiveness of trikes compared with other modes.

Sustainable city logistics — Making cargo cycles viable for urban freight transport

Urban freight and city logistics are central to the UK economy, but face a number of economic and environmental challenges. This paper contributes to a new body of research that investigates the potential of cargo cycles to make city logistics more sustainable and explores ways to encourage their diffusion. The paper makes three key contributions. First, it develops a typology of cycle logistics based on a literature review and expert interviews in order to clarify definitions and terminology. Second, it identifies perception issues, lack of awareness and regulations as major barriers to wider implementation at city level based on snap-shot case studies. Third, it suggests a sustainable city logistics framework for urban governance, logistic operations and future research, to harness the potential of using cargo cycles for sustainable urban freight transport. The paper argues that local authorities have a key role to play in creating conditions that incentivise large logistic companies such as DHL, Hermes and TNT to integrate cargo cycles into their supply chain and hence drive a long-term modal shift. The findings of the paper are of interest to policy makers, urban logistic operators, research institutions and citizens as potential customers.

Comparing the Use of Small Sized Electric Vehicles with Diesel Vans on City Logistics

Many actions have been recently carried out within European cities with the aim of reducing the negative impacts on traffic and environment caused by city logistics. Promising results have been reported with the increasingly popular initiative of the use of small sized electric vehicles (SEV), due to their improved energy efficiency, local zero emissions and lower traffic disturbance. Along this paper, on a first step, the authors estimate the effects of adopting SEV from the city perspective. Therefore, authors analyze how the use of small sized electric vehicles such as tricycles and cargo cycles in city logistics affects traffic, energy efficiency and emissions. First, the authors identify what should be the geographical scale of implementation of small sized electric vehicles solutions. Second, authors identify the market penetration share by small sized electric vehicles that lead to better results in terms of traffic, energy and environment to all stakeholders directly affected by city logistics operations. The assessment follows two distinct approaches, based on geographical coverage and on stakeholders’ impacts. The first one distinguishes the impacts of the initiative at street level, unit level and on the city system. Such analysis reflects the behaviour of the all spatial system and allows having a broader view on the geographical impact of the initiative. The second one distinguishes the respective impacts disaggregated by stakeholder group. It will be presented the environmental, operational and economic effects of 4 scenarios of market penetration by small sized vehicles, replacing diesel vans on city logistics by 10, 30, 50 and 100%. On a second step, authors estimate the effects of adopting SEV from the suppliers (industry) perspective, focusing on operational costs and determining the break-even point. The methodology is applied to Porto (Portugal) and calibrated with real world on-road performance of SEV on different driving conditions. The results show that the geographical scale that leads to better energy, environmental and traffic benefits is the street level, acknowledging the short distance scope of SEV's. At this geographical coverage, SEV lead to better improvements on the motorized mobility of the area, when the scenario represents a market penetration by 10%, with a reduction of delays by 10%, distance travelled by 16% and speed by 7%. In this 10% scenario the WTW energy consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced by 3 to 4%. Also for this scenario, 56 euros per year must be spent to save 1MJ of energy in WTW, which does not proves the use of SEV's on city logistics as particularly effective.

Bikes for Urban Freight?

In light of the necessity of reducing motorized road traffic in Europe, above all in city centers, focus is switching more and more to cycle freight. At present there is little research or systematically prepared findings in this area. This paper demonstrates that the use of cycle freight is already widespread, though restricted to larger cities, which have the density necessary to create demand. The existing firms that use cycle freight operate primarily as pure cycle freight operators. The parallel operation of cargo cycles within fleets of otherwise motorized vehicles has, however, been tried successfully on several occasions. The availability of city center hubs that ensure the necessary efficiency is one of the special requirements associated with the use of cargo cycles. Customers still have reservations, although it may be assumed that these reservations are more a case of initial resistance and could be overcome through information and advertising campaigns. In total, it is expected that around a quarter of city center freight transport could be carried by bike. Bike freight will work only if this mode of delivery is given greater consideration in city and transport planning. Initial estimates indicate that the reduction in air and noise pollution created by cycle-based commercial traffic could be quite significant, although systematic analysis is lacking in this area. To date, there have been no studies on the effects of cycle freight on city center traffic.