Whether a robot or a human delivers a package, the carbon footprint would be essentially the same, according to a study by the University of Michigan that could help judge the future of automated delivery.
Researchers have studied the environmental impact of advanced retail parcel delivery scenarios to houses. These effects have been compared with the traditional approach, whereby packages are delivered by a person driving a car and delivering them by hand.
While robots and automation account for less than 20% of the carbon footprint of packages, much of the greenhouse gas emissions come from the vehicle. Vehicle powertrain and fuel consumption are key determinants of package footprint. Researchers say switching to electric vehicles and reducing the carbon intensity of the electricity they use may have the biggest impact on sustainable parcel delivery.
Study of 12 suburban delivery scenarios from cradle to grave on greenhouse gas emissions. Their research is unique in that it takes into account not only emissions from the delivery process, but also greenhouse gases from the manufacture of vehicles and robots and their end-of-life disposal or recycling.
“We found that that the energy and carbon footprint of this automated parcel delivery in suburban areas is similar to that of traditional man-made vehicles. and Professor of Environmental Engineering
He added that for all the delivery systems examined, the vehicle use phase is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This highlights the need for low-carbon fuels for sustainable parcel delivery. The decarbonisation of networks is critical to the introduction of electric vehicles. autonomous vehicles to make the process more efficient. UPS and Waymo, for example, are testing an autonomous delivery van in Arizona. Ford Motor and Agility Robotics are investigating a system that would use a two-legged robot to transport packages from the delivery truck to the doorstep. Amazon and FedEx are testing drones and autonomous delivery robots, among others.
According to Allied Market Research, the automated last-mile delivery market has sevenfold growth potential and could reach 11.9 billion by 2030. dollars. “Last mile” means the final stage of the product from the local distribution center to the customer. This is the most expensive, most carbon-intensive and least energy-efficient link in the supply chain.
Studies show that automated last-mile approaches can reduce transport costs in cities by between 10 and 40 percent. However, according to the researchers, the environmental impacts of automated approaches need to be explored before they can be widely adopted
The research team assessed the emissions of three transport scenarios and four vehicle platforms. The transport scenarios are as follows:
• Traditional, in which one person drives the vehicle in the “last mile” in the area and transports all luggage to the doorstep, also known as the person who also delivers the “last 50 meters”
• Partially automated when the last mile is covered by a human and the last 50 meters by a robot.
• Fully automated when a a connected and automated vehicle makes the final mile, and a robot takes the packages to the thresholds.
For each scenario, internal combustion engine and battery electric drive chains were analyzed on a delivery vehicle of two sizes: a roughly 120 cubic meter, approximately A model based on a Nissan Cargo Van and a 350 cubic meter Ford Transit full-size truck
The smallest electric van was found to have the lowest CO2 emissions of 167 grams of CO2 per package. was in traditional transport. The highest value of 486 grams per package was shown in the scenario based on a partially automated, larger petrol-powered van and a two-legged robot.
“The results suggest that automated transport systems for smaller vans life cycle GHG emissions may be slightly higher than for conventional transport systems, but there is scope for reducing emissions for larger vans. however, it is 10 percent higher for a battery-powered electric van, “said Keoleian.
The professor also noted that no automated transportation system meets all situations and that factors other than environmental performance must be considered. such as life cycle costs, security t, visual impact and social sustainability factors or, for example, employment effects
Hardware, software, tests, curiosities and colorful news from the IT world by clicking here
