4 Smart City initiatives that drive sustainable mobility

Currently, one of the issues we are most aware of and concerned about is global warming and measures to reduce its impact. Whether it is minimizing carbon emissions, eliminating plastic and opting for renewable energies, and among them is to achieve sustainable mobility.

One of the most important initiatives is to promote smart cities in cities. It consists of managing all the usual things that are taken into account in a city but adding the plus of sustainability.

Here are some examples of how to promote sustainable mobility applied to logistics:

Electric vehicles

Given the increasing traffic restrictions on distribution vehicles in terms of number allowed, length, capacity, vehicle model, level of congestion and other aspects, it is becoming increasingly common for companies to renew their vehicle fleet to pursue an ideal level of sustainable mobility.

Among the most notable changes are electric or hybrid trucks that significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and minimize noise pollution.

Some last mile companies have also opted for more unusual vehicles such as scooters and electric bicycles because of their ability to access difficult urban areas that even a van could not enter, thus considerably reducing the impact of the carbon footprint.

DUM monitoring and optimization

Given the increasing difficulties faced by last-mile distribution (LMP) due to the growth of large cities, the increase in traffic restrictions and the great momentum of e-commerce, solutions to these problems are becoming increasingly complex.

Among the initiatives to reduce these inconveniences, deliveries are made during off-peak hours to avoid congestion.

Además se están planteando estrategias de estacionamiento y de tráfico mediante el control sobre ellas para gestionar la carga local y ahorrar costes. All this thanks to optimizers and route tracking.

It is even considering monitoring the charging of electric vehicles to guide them to the charging points as efficiently as possible.

Delivery points

Another solution that largely avoids the complexity of last-mile deliveries is pickup points. This initiative nips in the bud one of the most common last-mile problems: access to residential districts with very complicated routes.

However, it also has advantages for the consumer, since it is not necessary for him to be present at his home or office, as he can pick up his order within 14 days.

There are already several stores that use their physical premises as collection points, such as Inditex, as well as courier offices in the case of Correos. Apart from that, it is worth mentioning the lockers that some companies have implemented to deposit orders securely, among which Amazon's stand out.

Robots

One of the sustainable mobility ideas that seems very futuristic, but is currently being studied is the implementation of scout robots. These automatons will be able to deliver orders like any other delivery driver thanks to their small size, ideal for moving around pedestrian areas.

Through the sensors and cameras previously implemented, they receive all kinds of information and their advanced AI is responsible for making complex decisions to ensure last mile delivery and road safety. There are already several companies that are carrying out tests, such as Glovo , which has recently been acquired by Delivery Hero and Amazon in Europe

As we have seen, there are already several projects and initiatives that pursue sustainable and cleaner mobility through new technologies: from the implementation of AI to the replacement of fuels with electric energy.

At Hedyla, we also pursue sustainable mobility along with cost and time savings through the route optimizer and the fleet management.