E-Laas: Energy-optimised urban logistics as a service project – this is the name of the project, which won the approval of the jury of the EN-UAC China Call competition organised by JPI Urban Europe (Joint Programming Initiative Urban Europe) together with NSFC (National Natural Science Foundation of China) this year. The project, co-created by Poles, is implemented under Polish-Swedish-Chinese cooperation. The consortium consists of Chalmers University of Technology, Shanghai University, Tsinghua University and Warsaw University of Technology [1][2]. 

– We have proposed an innovative and integrated energy description of the multimodal urban logistics system – explains Prof. Emilian Szczepański from the Faculty of Transport at Politechnika Warszawska, who is the head of the E-Laas  polish project team [2].

The main goal of the project 

Nowadays, delivery is an integral part of our lives. We order clothes, food, electronic equipment, potted plants and even cut flowers, properly prepared by a florist. The society of the 21st century is a consumer society, but there are positive aspects to it, including the development of industry and, consequently, of the economy.

The aim of the project co-created by researchers from Politechnika Warszawska is to expand the supply possibilities – for example, transport bicycles. The basis of this process will be the creation of so-called micro-hubs, i. e. many secondary intermediate points serving transport-related activities. According to dr hab. eng. Emilian Szczepański’s solution will reduce the distance travelled by the last means of transport in the distribution channel [2].

The scientists from E-Laas project also draw attention of the public to the parking fees in city centres and conurbations, as well as the fees for electric vehicles. The changes are to be as follows – the shaping of the fees is to be based on dynamic and reactive adaptation to the current energy needs of the urban logistics system. 

This means, for example, that it will be possible to introduce lower charges for e-bikes at peak times and for cars at night. Thus, the platform is supposed to suggest solutions that allow users to adjust their infrastructure usage strategies, optimizing energy consumption […]

Prof. Emilian Szczepański [2].

If you don’t know what it is about, it’s about money.

As the famous Polish saying goes: if you don’t know what it is about, it’s about money. The solutions mentioned by the head of the Polish team are intended to indirectly lead to a change in the habits of the general population due to concern for their own budget. In practice, there is a kind of social responsibility to be created here, but we can be sure that if the environmental context of the project is not the reason for the changes, it will certainly be the material context.

– Different systems of urban logistics and their connection with energy infrastructure will be mapped – points out Prof. Szczepański. – Thanks to such an approach, it will be possible to assess the sensitivity of the system to changes in the size of transport tasks, changes in configuration, resulting disturbances, changes in the behaviour of participants in the process. Scalability is also an important aspect. Due to the fact that the contractors represent different geographical and cultural areas, the proposed solutions will also be examined from this angle.

The project is starting in May 2023 and will last 36 months, and as the main goal, the researchers set themselves the creation of a platform that will cover all stages of delivery. We hope to hear about the great successes of the international E-Laas project team soon. Polish scientists are showing class again.

References:

1. Article published on the website of the National Science Centre: Polish scientists awarded in the EN-UAC China Call competition, 25. 01. 2023; URL: https://www. ncn. gov. pl/aktualnosci/2022-01-24-wyniki-en-uac-china-call
2. Article published on the website of Politechnika Warszawska: Better logistics will help save energy in cities, 27. 02. 2023 (URL: https://www. pw. edu. pl/Aktualnosci/Lepsza-logistyka-pomoze-zaoszczedzic-energie-w-miastach)
3. Encyclopedia of PWN, the definition of the word multimodal; URL: https://encyklopedia. pwn. pl/encyklopedia/multimodalny. html

Magdalena Marynowska

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A student of law and international relations at the University of Warsaw, a multiple laureate of literary competitions, including poetry contests. I gained editorial experience as a leader of the social project “Nie Dotykaj Mnie,” where my main task was creating educational content for the project’s social media. I also had the opportunity to co-write the script for an educational film within the project. After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, I worked as an Operations Specialist at the non-profit organization Student Initiative for Education, where my responsibilities included developing partnerships with cultural and entertainment centers throughout Poland and co-organizing events for Ukrainian children and youth. Privately, I am a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver.