A recent study led by Concordia University researchers envisions the future of last-mile deliveries in urban environments to include more EVs, delivery robots, and self-service parcel pick-up lockers.
Online shopping surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with sales growing from $571.2 billion in 2019 to a record $815.4 billion in 2020. Since then, that trend has continued, with sales reaching $1.119 trillion in 2023.
Moving all those parcels around has meant an increase in delivery vehicles on the road, and if things continue in this manner, the World Economic Forum forecasts that carbon emissions and delivery traffic could increase by 60% by 2030.
To help reduce the environmental impact of these deliveries, the researchers have proposed a new hybrid system specifically designed for last-mile deliveries, particularly in urban areas, as Interesting Engineering shared.
The study introduced a hybrid system that would integrate electric vehicles, autonomous delivery robots, and storage lockers in order to improve delivery efficiency, especially for priority customers, like Amazon Prime members.
The novel logistical framework proposed EVs that could handle deliveries directly or act as a "mothership," dispatching robots to serve priority customers seeking same-day deliveries, a Concordia press release explained.
Non-priority customers could be directed to self-pickup lockers or simply wait a little longer for packages to arrive.
"The robots can serve multiple customers," and "the delivery system could gain more advantages by utilizing [charging stations] and lockers as drop-off points for robots," the researchers pointed out.
This study, which is said to be the first to simultaneously incorporate EVs, delivery robots, parcel lockers, and priority-based customer service, demonstrated that it can cut route and vehicle costs by up to 53% compared to EV-only delivery methods.
More efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for delivery services are desperately needed when you consider some of the statistics surrounding Amazon and its U.S. shipping and delivery services.
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Definitely 👍 A 2024 report showed that, even after announcing a "Climate Pledge" initiative in 2019, the company's pollution rates have soared.
During the period between 2019 and 2023, Amazon's delivery van emissions grew by over 190%, while its heavy-duty truck pollution saw a 51% increase.
More recently, the company announced plans to use artificial intelligence tools in the quest for more efficient deliveries, but its use of AI and data centers may be partly responsible for an increased carbon footprint.
In total, the U.S. transportation sector accounts for 29% of the country's planet-warming emissions, with 82% of that generated by light, medium and heavy-duty freight vehicles, according to an adjacent study on last-mile delivery alternatives.
While imagining a successful delivery to your high-rise apartment's front door by a robot still seems fanciful, delegating these trips to autonomous robots could help mitigate the pollution and traffic issues exacerbated by in-person deliveries.
Robots are already helping with offshore wind farm maintenance, farming, package sorting, and even speeding up recycling efforts, so it's not unreasonable to imagine them becoming an integral part of the delivery workforce.
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