In the Media

When clicking the infamous e-commerce "buy" button, most people don’t think about what has to happen next. SCTL Center Director Anne Goodchild comments on the current state of freight in cities: "They have a transportation plan, a bike master plan, a transit master plan. But freight has not been something cities have been planning for."

During a panel on deliveries and freight, Anne Goodchild from the University of Washington remarked that all the visioning seemed to omit that people still need supplies and to get rid of garbage. “Pictures of future cities always lack any indication of deliveries and logistics,” she said.

A new study by researchers at the University of Washington found that drones have less of a carbon impact than trucks for delivering packages in certain circumstances, particularly if the distance isn't too far, the route has few stops and the packages are small and light.

The Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics (SCTL) Center at the University of Washington has formed a new Urban Freight Lab to solve delivery system problems that cities and the business sector cannot handle on their own and to unite building managers, retailers, logistics and tech firms, and city government to develop advanced solutions to reduce dwell time and reduce failed first deliveries.

Could sending packages from distribution facilities by drone instead of with trucks reduce carbon dioxide emissions? A recent study by University of Washington transportation engineers says it could ... in the right circumstances.

Aaccording to a study by the University of Washington, drone based deliveries may be more environment-friendly than truck deliveries: “We were surprised to find that for some realistic conditions, drones produced less CO2 per delivery than trucks. They perform better with smaller distances, and fewer packages in the truck. This is largely due to their incredibly energy efficient and lightweight design,” Anne Goodchild, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington, stated.

SCTL Center Research Assistant and Ph.D. student Anna Bovbjerg Alligood developed a GIS model of fresh food delivery logistics and conducted a survey of Islanders to inform decision-making for the the creation of online marketplace Vashon Fresh, with VIGA Vashon and King Conservation District.

Anne Goodchild, associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Washington, told Professional Engineering: “Reducing weight in the drone has been a key engineering challenge that has been overcome to make them possible (in addition to improvements in battery technology).  Nothing like this level of effort has been invested in making over-the-road trucks light and energy efficient."

Drones are not always more carbon-efficient than trucks, although they can be, according to a recent study by two University of Washington researchers.

Drones emit less carbon dioxide than trucks when they don’t have to go very far for delivery or when there are fewer recipients, or both, University of Washington engineers have found.

"Flight is so much more energy-intensive — getting yourself airborne takes a huge amount of effort," says senior author Anne Goodchild, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW. "So I initially thought there was no way drones could compete with trucks on carbon dioxide emissions. In the end, I was amazed at how energy-efficient drones are in some contexts. Trucks compete better on heavier loads, but for really light packages, drones are awesome."

Research by the University of Washington says even fleets of drones paired with trucks may be the most efficient system. 

Barbara Ivanov promotes and facilitates practical research results, both as Director of the Urban Freight Lab at the University of Washington (UW) and as Chief Operating Officer of the Supply Chain, Transportation, and Logistics Center.

Delivery by drone sounds cool and futuristic, but when it comes to being environmentally friendly, does it really beat a truck drop-off? It depends, according to researchers from the University of Washington.

A new study from University of Washington researchers indicates that drone delivery may indeed lead to a lower carbon footprint — if it’s done properly. “I was amazed at how energy-efficient drones are in some contexts,” said Anne Goodchild, who led the research.