Time and Cost Efficiency of Autonomous Vehicles in the Last-Mile Delivery: A UK Case

Abstract

In recent years, last-mile delivery has become an increasingly important area in the global supply chain. Practically, there has been an increasing worldwide interest in developing the last-mile delivery robots/vehicles to increase the efficiency of the whole supply chain. Theoretically, several researchers have suggested that using autonomous robots brings more efficiency for delivery. However, almost no current studies consider a specific last-mile delivery activity – transport from supermarkets after loading to pick-up stations before unloading. The goal of this study is to investigate whether and how autonomous vehicles/robots can address the issue of cost and time efficiency. Specifically, this research aims at identifying the time and cost structures of using autonomous vehicles for the delivery along the chosen route – a single way from the Sainsbury’s supermarket to the Amazon pick-up station at Coventry. Furthermore, the research aims to find whether using autonomous vehicles is more efficient in time and/or cost than using vans with drivers for this route.