Moving-micro hubs: Redefining last-mile logistics with autonomous hub vehicles (AHVs) and delivery robots (ADRs)

Mariana Montero-Vega and Miquel Estrada

Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 2025, vol. 203, issue C

Abstract: This paper introduces an innovative two-echelon freight distribution system operated by two novel driverless technologies, this in order to improve operation cost, safety and the externalities in comparison to conventional distribution schemes. In the first echelon, Autonomous Hub Vehicles (AHV) aim to mobilize the ADRs from the city peripheries to multiple districts and feed the ADRs with parcels acting as a moving hub. In the second echelon, Autonomous Delivery Robots (ADR) perform the last mile distribution to final costumers in a given district of an urban area. The problem formulation aims to minimize the operational cost of the joint system. The modelling approach of the two-echelon problem consists in continuous approximations, adapting the formulation to the performance and constraints imposed by the novel driverless technologies. The total operating costs of the new system, called Moving Micro Hub (MMH), vary significantly with city demand distribution and the number of delivery zones, with fewer delivery zones and hubs generally leading to lower costs. The ADR operating costs dominate overall expenses and consequently, the optimal ADR capacity and reuse strategies are crucial for minimizing costs. MMH operations can reduce delivery costs by 40–55 % and significant lower global warming potential compared to Business-As-Usual (BaU). However, trade-offs exist between operational cost and occupation of urban space.

Keywords: Continuous Approximation Model; Autonomous Delivery Robots; Last Mile Delivery; Externalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1016/j.tre.2025.104229

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