Last Mile Logistics Life Cycle Assessment: A Comparative Analysis from Diesel Van to E-Cargo Bike

Andrea Temporelli (), Paola Cristina Brambilla, Elisabetta Brivio and Pierpaolo Girardi
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Andrea Temporelli: Ricerca Sistema Energetico—RSE Spa, Via R. Rubattino 54, 20134 Milan, Italy
Paola Cristina Brambilla: Ricerca Sistema Energetico—RSE Spa, Via R. Rubattino 54, 20134 Milan, Italy
Elisabetta Brivio: Ricerca Sistema Energetico—RSE Spa, Via R. Rubattino 54, 20134 Milan, Italy
Pierpaolo Girardi: Ricerca Sistema Energetico—RSE Spa, Via R. Rubattino 54, 20134 Milan, Italy

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: With the proliferation of e-commerce, the field of last-mile logistics has grown increasingly, highlighting the need to manage the environmental consequences of this phenomenon, especially to achieve decarbonization targets for cities and to improve citizens’ quality of life. Within this framework, the authors carried out a last-mile logistics life cycle assessment, to analyse and compare different logistics vehicle options performing the same service in an urban context: an electric four-wheel cargo bike, an electric van, a plug-in hybrid van, and a diesel van. The assessment shows that the e-cargo bike performs better for all the impact categories considered. The second-best option is the e-van, while the diesel van shows the worst environmental results. Focusing on decarbonization, the replacement of a diesel van with an electric one or with an e-cargo bike allows a reduction of 173 g CO 2 eq/km and 250 g CO 2 eq/km, respectively. Similar results are obtained for Photochemical Ozone Formation with associated emissions of 0.18, 0.31, 0.45 and 0.49 g NMVOC eq/km for the e-cargo bike, e-van, plug in hybrid van and diesel van, respectively. The only exceptions are Human Health impact categories, Acidification and Respiratory inorganics, for which the plug-in hybrid van performs worst, and Resource use, Mineral and Metals, for which the electric van performs worst.

Keywords: e-logistics; e-cargo bike; last mile logistics; urban logistics; life cycle assessment; environmental impacts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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