Concept of using electric cars in the implementation of last mile” deliveries

Introduction/background: The article is devoted to the possibility of "last mile" deliveries by electric cars with a permissible total weight of up to 3.5 tons. Aim of the paper: The aim of this article is to determine whether, with the technology currently available from electric car manufacturers, it is possible to use these vehicles for "last mile" deliveries. Materials and methods: The article contains a literature study of industry publications and the most important legal acts in European Union and in Poland. At the same time, the available issues in the field of “last mile” deliveries and the currently available technology of electric cars were analyzed. Results and conclusions: As a result of research based on the adopted assumptions for the implementation of "last mile" deliveries and the technical parameters of the currently available electric vans, the article presents a newly developed simplified algorithm showing the relationships between the time and number of unloading in relation to the length of the delivery routes. At the same time showing that the currently available technology of electric cars allows for the implementation of this process with their use.