As a partner in the FREVUE project, the City of Amsterdam has been actively supporting the uptake of electric freight vehicles (EFVs), using different incentives, from purchase subsidies to encouraging zero emission deliveries in the procurement of its own office supplies. Among the most effective actions are operational incentives for freight companies using EFVs in the city centre.
These incentives aim at contributing to a positive business case for logistics companies using zero emission vehicles. From March 2015, approximately 20 vehicles from seven companies were exempted from parking prohibitions in tailored designated areas. These exemptions allow electric freight vehicles to (un)load directly to the pavement, to operate outside the time access windows and to enter certain pedestrian zones. Reduced walking distance and decreased unloading time results in: additional drops per hour, lower labour costs per day and cheaper operations for shippers.
A FREVUE factsheet provides an overview of these privileges, an evaluation of the effects on operations after a period of six months and provides recommendations for the use of privileges in city logistics. The evaluation was carried out by TNO, the research partner responsible for the economic analysis under the FREVUE project.
Overall, most of the interviewed operators gave a positive feedback on the privileges, due to the operational benefits perceived. Their favourable response was also influenced by the enthusiasm reported by the drivers: less stress, fewer confrontations with the general public and enforcement officers, fewer fines, and less time pressure resulted in a more pleasant working environment. In one case, this also led to a more efficient performance, as the operator experienced fewer complaints from receivers due to mistakes or incomplete deliveries.
You can download the factsheet here.
Source: FREVUE