Newsletter No.2
8 February 2000
Institute for City Logistics
Contents
1. New co-operative system using electric vans for improving urban freight transport (Eiichi Taniguchi, Kyoto University)
New co-operative system using electric vans for improving urban freight transport has been proposed and tested in Osaka City, Japan. The test is funded by NEDO (New Energy Development Organisation). The Institute of Urban Traffic Research, Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Electric Industries Co. Ltd. provide the system and conduct test.
The system aims reducing the freight traffic and providing environment friendly logistics system in urban areas. The main idea of the system is that an organisation provides some electric vans at various parking places to be used cooperatively by many companies. Users can pickup electric vans at a parking place for carrying goods to customers and return the van at the nearest parking place to come back to their office by subway or bus. This traffic behaviour can reduce freight traffic without carrying goods. Electric van itself is better for environment than normal gasoline or diesel pickup trucks. In addition advanced information system is equipped in the van, including the car navigation with GPS, VICS (Vehicle Information Communication Systems), PHS (Personal Handy-phone System). These advanced information systems allow drivers to choose optimal route for visiting customers. They also enable the company to know the present position of each vehicle.
In the central area of Osaka City 28 electric vans were prepared for 78 voluntary companies that belong to various business area, including trading, service, printing, securities, manufacturing, maintenance. These companies can book for using the vans through Internet. The electric vans are kept in 8 parking places with the full charge of electricity in the central Osaka to be picked up. The users can return electric vans to 16 parking places including the previous 8 parking places after using for business. The test in Osaka City started on 13th December 1999 and will last until March 2000. During the test period, users can use electric vans without paying charge. However, after March 2000 we plan to continue the test by charging a small fee for using electric vans.
The electric vans used in the test can carry goods up to 500kg. It can run about 100km with the full charge of electricity that normally requires 7 hours for recharging. However, in the congested urban area the maximum running distance is limited to about 40km.
Freight carriers can take benefits of reducing the freight costs compared with the conventional way of operating their own vehicles. This is the outcome of sharing vehicles with other companies. Residents can expect benefits of better air quality and quiet environment by electric vehicles instead of gasoline or diesel vehicles. If the return trip of vans with no load was replaced with subway or bus, the reduction of trips will be beneficial to other drivers on less congested roads.
So far the system has been well operated for the first one month after starting on 13th December 1999. According to the questionnaire to users, 32 trips out of 146 trips (22%) used public transport for the return trip to the office after returning the electric van in the parking place that is different from the starting parking place. This is good result for reducing unnecessary trip of vans without load. Because it was believed that there was difficulty to change truck traffic to public transport. In our system we need to reassign the returned electric vans at a parking place that is different from the starting parking place for the next day operation. But the reassignment of vehicles is carried out at nighttimes and it is beneficial for alleviating daytime congestion.
As conclusions, the new cooperative system of electric vans for urban freight transport is promising and good challenge for solving urban traffic problems. The application of electric vehicles and advanced information technology allows us to provide new service to companies for distributing goods in urban areas. The system proposed here is beneficial for residents and other drivers as well as shippers and freight carriers in terms of reducing costs, improving the environment and alleviating congestion.
2. Freight transport and the city (Johan Visser, Delft University of Technology)
In Paris on 11th and 12th of December 1997 the one-hundred and ninth round table on transport economics was held on the topic: freight transport and the city. Recently the report was published by the OECD as a European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) research activity. In this roundtable meeting, chaired by professor dr. Herbert Baum from the University of Cologne in Germany, introductory papers where presented by researchers from Germany, France, United Kingdom and Sweden. After the presentations by Volker Sustrate (Germany), Dani?le Patier (France), Michael Browne (UK) and Henrik Swahn (Sweden) several discussion rounds were started. On the first day the problems and the measures were discussed. On the second day data collection and modelling were discussed. The final discussion was about the recommendation in terms of further research and policies. The discussions generated a whole of facts and arguments, brought up by researchers and planners from transport companies. It were fruitful discussions with some very nice results. For instance the first discussion was about the problems. The vehicle restrictions that are introduced every where in Europe lead to a shift from social costs for the surrounding to transport costs for the transport companies. Partly these costs will finally be paid by the consumer, but also to some extent the transport companies will have to pay the costs. This means that inefficient ways of transport will become extinct. More efficient ways of transport in particular where consolidation takes places will survive. This process can lead to more efficient transport. Another discussion was about the effectiveness of certain measures. In Cologne a social cost-benefit analysis showed that consolidation terminals have an higher social return (3,3) than telematics (2,3), cooperation (2,0) or dedicated freight lanes (1,1).
It is a pity, however, that the summary of the discussions in the report does not reflect the discussions. This way a lot of information is lost. Nevertheless, the report contains all the introductory papers that were presented. For people who did not attend the meeting. It is certainly interesting to read the papers/.
Further information can be found at the following address: http://www.oecd.org/cem/