Electric vehicles (EVs) address the challenges global megatrends impose on freight transporting companies in urban areas. EVs decouple transport costs from depleting oil reserves and are free of tailpipe emissions. They are, technically, suitable for urban transport tasks which are often characterized by short, pre-planned tours and enable battery charging—or changing—at the depot. Despite these promising potentials, electric urban freight transport is still a niche market. The literature suggests the main obstacle for mass usage is the high purchase price, since profitability is considered the most important factor by nearly all companies. A descriptive statistical analysis of urban freight initiatives deploying EVs in the European North Sea Region identifies two current trends, and clusters profitability concepts of good practice examples in Europe. The study suggests that one trend is to deploy slow and light electric vehicles such as electric cargo bikes, scooters or heavy quadricycles, often combined with micro-consolidation hubs. In the second trend, medium heavy electric trucks substitute conventional vehicles in last mile logistics. Here, concepts that fully exploit the strengths of EVs to increase their productivity reach profitable operations. These include: (i) reducing the capital investment for EVs, (ii) increasing the kilometre range to benefit from low operational costs, (iii) capitalizing on the vehicles’ sustainable image and (iv) exploiting of new business opportunities. The findings have implications for policy makers and companies, and they encourage the use of EVs in freight transport to abate freight transport-related emissions.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Strategies to Increase the Profitability of Electric Vehicles in Urban Freight Transport


    Additional title:

    Green Energy,Technology


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    E-Mobility in Europe ; Chapter : 20 ; 367-388


    Publication date :

    2015-04-28


    Size :

    22 pages





    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English




    Strategies to Increase the Profitability of Electric Vehicles in Urban Freight Transport

    Taefi, Tessa T. / Kreutzfeldt, Jochen / Held, Tobias et al. | Tema Archive | 2015


    Accessibility analysis for Urban Freight Transport with Electric Vehicles

    Carrese, Filippo / Colombaroni, Chiara / Fusco, Gaetano | BASE | 2020

    Free access

    Electric vehicle charging strategies for Urban freight transport: concept and typology

    Teoh, Tharsis | Taylor & Francis Verlag | 2022

    Free access

    Towards rail freight profitability in Australia

    Ferreira, L. | Online Contents | 1993


    Towards rail freight profitability in Australia

    Ferreira, Luis / Otway, Neil | Taylor & Francis Verlag | 1993