Author: Matthew Hocking / University of Wolverhampton

GREEN-LOG eco-logistics project made rapid progress during its pre-Christmas ‘Living Lab’ trial with Innovate Oxfordshire at Oxfordshire County Council and Pedal & Post couriers.

The Europe-wide GREEN-LOG project is developing tools to link local retailers and consumers in Oxford with fast and eco-friendly local electric vehicle (EV) delivery.

Pedal and Post, a long-time delivery service in Oxford, use a range of vehicles including electrically assisted bikes, trikes and eVans. They are partnering with the local Council and research partners from England, Spain, Greece, Sweden and Belgium to reduce congestion and emissions in central Oxford, while providing same day and next day delivery services.

The latest technology in machine learning systems from the University of Wolverhampton predict the number of parcels for a specific area of Oxford. Then state of the art routing algorithms from Spain’s Aimsun research group assist the cycle couriers by planning a route which reduces energy and delivery time. The increased efficiency will increase parcel capacity and allow room for Pedal and Post to expand their operations.

The GREEN-LOG platform is a Logistics-as-a-service (LaaS) system, moving the decisions about delivery type from the sender to the recipient. Some shopping platforms allow the buyer to choose eco-friendly delivery over an energy intensive method. Local retailers will now have access to a similar service through GREEN-LOG, to provide Oxford’s shoppers with a world-class delivery experience.

A further advantage of an integrated LaaS platform gives the local Council benefits too. When roads are closed, or emissions are above legal limits, or to decrease noise in residential areas, the Council can help direct delivery routes away from sensitive areas. These changes can be made immediately as events occur, saving deliveries from unexpected delays.

Introduction of the latest autonomous vehicle technology by UK based project partner FEED and the Oxford Brookes University Autonomous Driving and Intelligent Transport group will enable Pedal & Post to take a full load of parcels from the depot to a location in the city through use of a self-driven EV. This Mobile Delivery Hub will provide a collection point for customers and a refill point for couriers. Couriers can deliver more parcels without returning to the central depot, and customers can book a collection time which suits their day-to-day routine. Although autonomous vehicles cannot provide full delivery services, the Mobile Delivery Hub will follow agreed routes to a selection of city centre locations.

The next demonstrations of GREEN-LOG, Pedal & Post, FEED and Innovate Oxfordshire’s work on improving local delivery services will be early in 2025. Look out for the GREEN-LOG branded Pedal & Post EV’s around Oxford.

For further information about the project, its partners and goals, see:

greenlog-project.eu ; pedalandpost.co.uk ; oxfordshire.gov.uk

Photo credits (title picture): FEED Oxford