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Since the mid-1990s European urban freight transport has undergone several major changes with direct impact on vehicle use patterns. These include (i) freight vehicle downsizing and (ii) the dieselisation of van fleets (formally referred to as light commercial vehicles or LCVs). More recently, a new possible trend has started to emerge, mainly related to alternative fuelled LCVs for reducing air pollution emissions in urban areas. Electric LCVs up to 3.5 tons are considered a suitable option for last mile operations, yet only a few last mile operators are replacing their diesel fleets with electric vans. In order to probe electric LCV acceptance in the freight transport sector, we conducted 15 experiment-oriented interviews with urban freight transport and service operators who tested and adopted electric vans, exploring technical and operational obstacles in daily operations in Paris and London. Additional interviews (8) have been conducted with policymakers, to update the initial survey. The results show that, in addition to range concerns issues, last mile operators’ perception and acceptance of electric vans are affected by other concerns, such as queue, payload and grid anxieties. A number of financial and non-financial incentives to foster the adoption of electric vans are identified and compared by considering the cities of Paris and London. The research also explored potential policy tools for mitigating the detected barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refrigerated vans used for home deliveries are attracting attention as online grocery shopping in the UK is expanding rapidly and contributes to the increasing greenhouse gas (CO 2) and nitrogen oxides (NO X) emissions. These vans are typically 3.5-tonne gross weight vehicles equipped with temperature-controlled units called Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs), which are usually powered off the vehicles' engine. It is obvious that vehicles with added weight of TRUs consume more fuel and emit more NO X , let alone the vehicles' diesel engines are also powering the refrigeration units, which further elevates the emissions. This research uses an instantaneous vehicle emission model PHEM (version 13.0.3.21) to simulate the real-world emissions from refrigerated vans. A validation of PHEM is included using data from laboratory (chassis dynamometer) tests over a realistic driving profile (the London Drive Cycle), to assess its ability to quantify the impact of changing vehicle weights and carrying loads. The impact of the TRU weight, greater frontal area increasing aerodynamic drag and refrigeration load on van emissions is then estimated by PHEM. The influence of ambient temperature, cargo weight and driving condition on CO 2 and NO X emission from refrigerated van are also assessed. Overall CO 2 emissions of vans with TRUs are found to be 15% higher than standard vehicles, with NO X emissions estimated to be elevated by 18%. This confirms the need to take into account the impact of additional engine load when predicting van emissions in this and other sectors such as ambulances which are relatively heavy, high powered vehicles. Moreover, findings of the impact of TRUs on fuel consumptions can be used to optimize fuel-saving strategies for refrigerated vans and test cases for alternative low- or zero-emission technologies, to support progress to a sustainable net-zero society. Unlabelled Image • Calculation of elevation in CO2 and NOX emissions from refrigerated vans. • Calculation made using the leading instantaneous vehicle emission model PHEM; with the paper including model validation. • Impact of ambient temperature, cargo weight and driving condition on refrigerated van emissions evaluated. • Method can also be applied to other vans with additional load like ambulances. • Results relevant for exploring the impact of e-commerce home deliveries and e-groceries on air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]