Highlights Introduction of detailed energy demand model for drones. Hovering and wind conditions affects range of parcel delivery drones seriously. Simulation study on energy demand of electric and Diesel trucks as well as drones. Electric trucks require least energy and produce least GHG emissions in most situations. Drones are competitive in rather rural settings (large distances, low customer density).
Abstract Drones are one of the most intensively studied technologies in logistics in recent years. They combine technological features matching current trends in transport industry and society like autonomy, flexibility, and agility. Among the various concepts for using drones in logistics, parcel delivery is one of the most popular application scenarios. Companies like Amazon test drones particularly for last-mile delivery intending to achieve both reducing total cost and increasing customer satisfaction by fast deliveries. As drones are electric vehicles, they are also often claimed to be an eco-friendly mean of transportation. In this paper an energy consumption model for drones is proposed to describe the energy demand for drone deliveries depending on environmental conditions and the flight pattern. The model is used to simulate the energy demand of a stationary parcel delivery system which serves a set customers from a depot. The energy consumed by drones is compared to the energy demand of Diesel trucks and electric trucks serving the same customers from the same depot. The results indicate that switching to a solely drone-based parcel delivery system is not worthwhile from an energetic perspective in most scenarios. A stationary drone-based parcel delivery system requires more energy than a truck-based parcel delivery system particularly in urban areas where customer density is high and truck tours are comparatively short. In rather rural settings with long distances between customers, a drone-based parcel delivery system creates an energy demand comparable to a parcel delivery system with electric trucks provided environmental conditions are moderate.
Comparison of energy demands of drone-based and ground-based parcel delivery services
2019-01-01
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
DRONE TRANSPORTATION APPARATUS FOR PARCEL DELIVERY SERVICE
Europäisches Patentamt | 2017
DRONE TRANSPORTATION APPARATUS FOR PARCEL DELIVERY SERVICE
Europäisches Patentamt | 2017
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