Climate Neutral Urban Logistics

Freight transport is expected to increase drastically in the coming decades. An increase of up to 130 percent is expected during the period 2010 and 2050 in OECD countries, and in countries outside the OECD, predictions show increases of up to 550 percent. This implies fundamental changes in the logistics industry, especially when it comes to the, so called last mile delivery, when goods are delivered to the end customer. This is usually the most expensive and environmentally harmful part of the entire chain.

In addition to testing and developing a ground-based automated delivery system on campus, the project aims to generate new knowledge about how urban logistics affect the environment and how the transition to autonomous solutions affects society and infrastructure in general. Through interviews and focus groups with users and people who come into contact with the robot, ​​the degree of social acceptance for these new solutions will be measured.

Climate Neutral Urban Logistics
The developer of the robots, as well as project leader, is the startup company HUGO. Other partners are Chalmers University of Technology, Chalmersfastigheter, the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Johanneberg Science Park, Ernst Rosén, HSB Gothenburg, Akademiska Hus and the City of Gothenburg’s Traffic Office. The project has received support within the strategic innovation program Viable Cities, which is financed by Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas. It has a total budget of 5.5 million and runs from November 2019 until October 2021.