LEVVs in the last mile - creating a vehicle decision model for nuisance-free parcel delivery for PostNL

Abstract

The e-commerce market is growing rapidly and PostNL
continues to strive for delivery to the doorstep. The last mile of delivery is
considered the most impactful part of the logistical chain. On top of
environmental impact, the liveability of the city centre is challenged by bulky
delivery vans rushing through narrow streets and blocking the way to deliver
parcels in time. Municipalities have ambitions to expel unsustainable and big
vehicles from their city centres, making it a pressing matter for PostNL to
change its approach.    PostNL committed to deliver 100%
emission-free and nuisance-poor in 25 Dutch city centres by 2025. Emission-free
delivery is achieved through deploying an electric fleet, but nuisance-poor
delivery asks for a strategy to reduce congestion and make traffic situations
safer.  PostNL aims to deploy light electric vehicles
(Licht Elektrisch VrachtVervoer in Dutch) in
the last-mile but is unsure what type of LEVV vehicle must drive on
what road type to optimally reduce nuisance. The vehicle options are a
bike-type LEVV and a truck-type LEVV as PostNL is unsure which one to
choose and by testing both a full coverage of street-types is
possible.    This research showed what information must be gathered for
PostNL to decide what vehicle would cause the least nuisance on a type of
street. The information helps them create routes for a vehicle-type which would
cause minimal nuisance, while still being efficient. The information is
used to create a model of choice theory, which helps PostNL decide what LEVV
should drive on what street to reduce nuisance. A roadmap shows how this model
is digitised and automated to be future proof. Lastly, a communication strategy
is made to make sure the system is communicated clearly along the process
chain.   Desk research and interviews showed that by focusing on safety
and congestion as nuisance, liveability is increased no matter the area within
the city. The potential in reducing this nuisance while still being efficient
was confirmed in a physical test with both LEVV-types compared to a traditional
bus. Two vehicles were selected as models for the design (Fulpra Roll bike
and CargoLEV truck).    A survey showed a higher
satisfaction rate in customers who received their parcel through sustainable
delivery, together with a high vehicle awareness this shows a potential benefit
for PostNL in happy customers and reputation.    A first PDCA-cycle
(Plan-Do-Check-Act) was used to build the reasoning for choosing one vehicle
over the other. City centre streets were categorised into six archetypes, on
which every vehicle was judged on its potential to reduce nuisance while
parking and driving.    The theory states that if a vehicle can drive
and park nuisance poorly, it is the most efficient one as it can move fast
through traffic and find a parking space in front of the door of the delivery,
reducing walking time.    The second PDCA-cycle showed how this
theory can be made into a model of choice which can be used to create routes in
all cities.    Weighing factors drop density, street
direction, stratona weight and traffic intensity are needed for a
weighted calculation to benefit important streets in the calculation and
advice. The shape of this advice and how it must be communicated along the
process chain concludes this cycle.  In the last design cycle a
tactical roadmap is created that shows how the system evolves into an adaptive
and pro-active route planning tool supported and improved by future road work
data and driver feedback.    PostNL ended up with a substantiated
theory on vehicle choice and a roll-out plan for using it. Another benefit of
this research for PostNL, besides supporting LEVV implementation, is that it
supports the argument within PostNL for the value of nuisance reduction as a
main KPI besides efficiency.