Designing new models for energy efficiency in urban freight transport for smart cities and its application to the Spanish case

Abstract

Considering that the transport sector is responsible for 30% of the CO2 emissions in the EU, reaching up to 40% in urban areas, the efforts for technological improvements and innovation in transportation have been increasing during the last few decades. It is evident that urban freight distribution requires innovative solutions that are capable of improving the efficiency of transport whilst promoting innovative use of renewable energy, thus reducing energy consumption and associated GHG emissions while adopting and not stifling economic development. In this context, six Mediterranean cities (Barcelona, Bologna, Piraeus, Rijeka and Valencia)) collaborated with the purpose of contributing to the improvement of energy efficiency on urban freight transport as part of the SMILE Project (2015) (SMart green Innovative urban Logistics Models for Energy efficient mediterranean cities project), funded by the MED Programme. The SMILE project aims to improve the energy efficiency of Mediterranean cities through the promotion of innovative ‘green’ and cost effective solutions for urban freight logistics, addressing the target of green and smart urban development. This paper shows the results of the live test of smart city urban logistics solutions in the cities of Barcelona and Valencia that consisted of combining the use of electric tricycles and Transhipment terminals (or Urban Consolidation Centres) for the last-mile delivery of parcels and small shipments. A thoughtful analysis of the quantitative outcomes of the pilot test in both cities are presented from different perspectives: economical, operational, energy efficiency, environmental and social.