Life-cycle analysis of last-mile parcel delivery using autonomous delivery robots

The acceleration of global e-commerce brings an increasing environmental burden to urban last-mile logistics. Autonomous delivery robots (ADRs) have often been considered as an attractive solution to this challenge but, to date, their environmental impact had not been fully assessed. To fill this gap, a life-cycle analysis of two-echelon and business-as-usual distribution strategies is proposed in this paper. To model ADR production, primary data from an actual prototype is used. The mathematical formulation of the use stage is done using the continuous approximation methodology. Finally, some managerial insights are obtained. Two-echelon operations would generate between 60 and 130 gCO2-eq per parcel delivery depending on the considered operation scenario. The ADR fleet production and renewal are the biggest contributors to this total global warming potential (GWP). As a consequence, the three main leverages to decrease the GWP of an ADR-based two-echelon delivery scheme are an improvement of the ADR production processes, the maximization of the robot lifespan (both for mechanical parts and battery), and the optimization of delivery operations to minimize the robot fleet size.