Suitable electromobility for commercial transport
Commercial transport represents a significant share of urban transport and is responsible for a substantial amount of air pollution and noise. Commercial transport is not simply the transport of goods but also comprises trips of service providers such as electricians, plumbers or social services. These urban commercial trips are usually short and daily mileage rarely exceeds 100 km. Also these trips are often planned in advance. Given short distances and early planning, urban commercial transport makes for an excellent use case for the electrification of commercial transport.
Project
The project “Suitable electromobility for commercial transport“ (SELECT), supported by the European Union as well as national funding authorities in Austria, Denmark and Germany, investigates how electric vehicles could contribute to an environmentally sustainable alternative to current patterns of urban commercial transport.
Objectives
The project’s central objectives are
- to produce deeper knowledge on the possibilities to electrify commercial transport, including potential market shares,
- to understand the needs, requirements and attitudes of selected commercial sectors with respect to the use of electric vehicles to fulfil their transportation needs and to translate these requirements into specifications for the development of supporting services,
- to develop a generic technical framework and set of methods for fleet management of electric and mixed fleets,
- to develop recommendations considering different areas and levels of action as well as respective actors.
Approach
SELECT provides an in-depth research on the suitability of electric vehicles for commercial transport and is based on the results of projects such as "Green eMotion" or tests in pilot regions such as “e-mobility Berlin”, “E-City Logistics” in Berlin, “VLOTTE” in Austria or “Test an Elbil” in Denmark. In order to achieve its objectives SELECT
- runs empirical research trials in Austria, Denmark and Germany based on detailed surveys and questionnaires in different companies and sectors,
- develops a methodological fleet management framework for electric vehicles and mixed fleets,
- develops recommendations for vehicle manufacturers, governmental organisations as well as commercial transport organisations.
SELECT is part of the ERA-NET Plus Electromobility+ initiative and receives funding by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology and the Danish Council of Strategic Research.
