CTP acquires Amsterdam Logistic Cityhub for 300 mln euro

CTP, a top-five industrial property developer in Europe, announced the acquisition of the Amsterdam Logistic Cityhub (ALC) with a net transaction value of €307 million for 100% of the shares of this single asset. The XXL city hub in the Western Docklands of Amsterdam is currently being constructed. Upon completion (end of 2022), will comprise …

Electric trucks: study pinpoints precise locations for charging infrastructure across EU

A new study pinpoints precise locations for charging infrastructure across the EU. A study conducted by Fraunhofer ISI on behalf of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) indicates key locations for the future deployment of charging points for battery-electric trucks. The study’s unique dataset can be used to help map out an EU-wide network of …

Research: vans versus bikes versus drones

Urban distribution in medium-sized cities faces a major challenge, mainly when deliveries are difficult in the city center due to: an increase in e-commerce, weak public transportation system, and the promotion of urban sustainability plans. As a result, private cars, public transportation, and freight transportation compete for the same space. A new paper by Serrano-Hernandez …

Research: the environmental impact and costs of externalities of using urban consolidation centres

Literature on city logistics presents a large number of practical experiences of urban consolidation centres (UCCs). Still, there is limited knowledge about the potential reduction of the environmental impact and the related externality costs (vehicle kilometres, the number of vehicles, CO2 , NOx  and PM). A new paper by Katsela et al. evaluates the environmental …

Cargo bikes are a winner in parcel deliveries

Electric cargo bikes provide a cleaner, quicker solution for urban deliveries, but clearer regulations and banning fossil-fuelled vehicles are key to encouraging their uptake. These were conclusions of The Promise of Low-Carbon Freight report, which, using data from logistics operator Pedal Me, found that adopting cargo bikes not only reduced carbon emissions by 90%, compared with diesel …

The rise and fall of parcel delivery companies?

Investors in the parcel delivery business are cautious. Royal Mail lost 15 percent of its value in one month, Belgian Bpost lost 18 percent. UPS and FedEx losing 7 to 9 percent. With a 5 percent drop in the AEX last week, is Dutch PostNL the next loser? Dutch PostNL sent 11 percent more parcels …

Research: exploring the feasibility of electric vehicles in the short food supply chain

The transition towards more sustainable approaches in the Food Supply Chain was concretely visible in the implementation of alternative models, like Short Food Supply Chains. Some authors raise doubts on the environmental impact of this model, in particular for the externalities caused by the transport system, suggesting the adoption of Electric Freight vehicles. By adopting …

Winning Last Mile Challenge team addresses the problem of combining mathematical routes with driver knowledge

Finding the optimal route between multiple destinations (the traveling salesman problem) is a challenge regularly faced by Amazon’s Last Mile team. Meeting that challenge has meant developing planning software to allow Amazon’s delivery fleet to find the most efficient routes. But what happens when drivers must deviate from those routes? Drivers have access to real-time …