A comparative routing-based analysis shows that battery electric vehicles are most efficient for short and medium urban routes, while hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are better suited for longer inter-urban missions.
Decoupled logistics models using micro-hubs and cargo bikes reduce curbside occupation by up to 80%, significantly improving public-space efficiency.
Sustainable urban freight transitions require combining vehicle electrification with organizational redesign and integrated routing optimization
Recent research on urban freight logistics highlights the need for integrated approaches that address decarbonization, spatial efficiency, and operational reliability simultaneously. A 2026 comparative study examines diesel, battery electric (BEV), and hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) light commercial vehicles (LCVs), both in conventional single-tier operations and in decoupled systems using micro-hubs and cargo e-bikes.
Urban freight is framed not merely as a source of emissions, but as a structural component of city systems that competes for scarce public space. Beyond parcel delivery, the study explicitly models service-based operations such as appliance delivery and installation, which involve long dwell times and generate packaging waste. This broader operational lens is important: many freight trips combine transport and on-site service, intensifying curbside occupation and complicating the allocation of urban space.
Study in Rome
Methodologically, the study applies a Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW) framework calibrated to the metropolitan area of Rome. Three representative missions are defined: an urban route (48 km), a suburban route (99 km), and an inter-urban route (250 km). Five service patterns are compared: a diesel baseline; a battery-electric LCV; a battery-electric LCV combined with micro-hubs and cargo e-bikes; a hydrogen fuel-cell LCV; and a hydrogen LCV combined with cargo bikes. The modeling framework integrates vehicle range constraints, energy consumption, CO₂ emissions, service times, and curbside occupation into a unified performance assessment.
BEV versus FCEV
The results confirm several structural insights for city logistics policy and research. First, both BEVs and FCEVs eliminate tailpipe emissions within their operational envelopes. BEVs are most efficient on short and medium-range missions, up to approximately 150 km per day, offering high energy efficiency in dense urban and peri-urban settings. FCEVs extend zero-emission feasibility to longer regional routes (up to roughly 450 km, which is almost never the case in city logistics) without mid-shift refueling, making them suitable for inter-urban service operations.
Second, organizational innovation proves as consequential as propulsion technology. Decoupled configurations that transfer goods from LCVs to cargo e-bikes at micro-hubs reduce LCV curbside occupation by 50–80%, depending on route characteristics. This is particularly significant in historic cores and mixed-use neighborhoods, where loading space is scarce, and enforcement pressures are high. By reallocating the most space-intensive activities away from the curb, these models enhance public-space efficiency and reduce conflicts with pedestrians, cyclists, and passenger vehicles.
Third, integrating packaging recovery into last-mile operations strengthens the circular-economy dimension of urban freight. In decoupled scenarios, packaging materials are systematically collected during service visits without additional vehicle-kilometers, demonstrating that reverse logistics can be embedded in routine delivery structures.
Overall, the study demonstrates that sustainable urban freight transitions depend on the alignment of technology, spatial organization, and routing optimization. Fleet electrification alone is insufficient. Meaningful gains arise when zero-emission vehicles are embedded within reconfigured logistics systems that reduce curb demand, enable circular flows, and adapt to heterogeneous urban morphologies. For metropolitan authorities designing zero-emission zones and curbside policies, the implication is clear: infrastructure, governance, and operational models must co-evolve.
The analysis is particularly relevant for scholars and practitioners concerned with how vehicle technology, curbside management, and service logistics interact in dense metropolitan contexts.
Some remarks
This paper could be improved in four ways. First, the reliance on synthetic demand generation and deterministic travel times limits external validity; incorporating real GPS trajectory data and stochastic congestion patterns would strengthen empirical robustness. Second, adding a comprehensive Total Cost of Ownership and full life-cycle (well-to-wheel) emissions assessment would provide a more complete policy perspective. Third, optimizing micro-hub locations endogenously rather than assuming fixed sites would enhance spatial rigor. Finally, explicitly modeling charging and refueling operations, infrastructure constraints, and energy price volatility would improve the realism of BEV and FCEV feasibility analyses.