Routing Problems with Electric and Autonomous Vehicles: Review and Potential for Future Research

Abstract

The transportation sector has undergone a major transformation in the past few years with the shift to electric mobility and the introduction of new, promising types of vehicles. Sustainability is the driving force of this revolution, but, these changes are expected to greatly impact the space of logistics operations. Electric vans have been in the market for a few years already, and they are comparable to gas-powered vehicles in certain applications; however, they are not the only ones with great potential. Drones and ground robots are two new types of vehicles, the characteristics of which offer remarkable opportunities in supply chains. Nonetheless, theoretical research on logistics operations with the abovementioned vehicles has been distant from reality. This research aims to help researchers explore the untapped potential of electric vehicles. To achieve this, a thorough look into their technical aspects is provided, to determine the key elements that distinguish them, make a comparison to the existing literature, and identify the research gap. Due to the increased complexity and the sensitivity of these vehicles to externalities and uncertainties in general, research should address and explore four major elements of these novel supply chains, energy consumption, new vehicle types, dynamic environment, and communication between vehicles.