Supporting electric vehicles in freight transport in Amsterdam

Abstract

Report written within the framework of Activity 7.4 of the Interreg IVB project E-Mobility NSR, file nr. 35-2-6-11. During the last decade the Municipality of Amsterdam has initiated quite elaborate policies to improve the air quality within the city, both for reasons of public health and spatial development. These policies were redefined in 2011 and subsequently evaluated and updated in 2013 (Gemeente Amsterdam, 2011a/b; 2013a). The main focus of these policies is on the reduction of NO2 and small particulate matter emissions. Supporting electric mobility - for freight as well as passengers - is an explicit part of these policies, rather than a goal in itself. With regard to the current ‘action plan’ this implies that two different approaches could be imagined. First, to take current air quality policies as a starting point and zoom in on the role of electric freight vehicles. Or, secondly, to focus explicitly on the latter, thus largely ignoring the prevailing focus applied by the Municipality of Amsterdam for several years now. We decided to choose the first approach, because it appears more realistic to connect to prevailing insights and policies than to ‘reinvent the wheel’. Moreover, we also took into consideration that transnational learning is one of the objectives of Activity 7.4 of the E-Mobility NSR project, and indeed of Interreg as such. This means that whereas the already relatively elaborate - and evaluated - policies in Amsterdam may leave limited opportunities for additional recommendations, they may have a distinct added value for other cities. Local policy in Amsterdam to support clean freight transport - and clean transport in general - applies a twofold approach: - an explicit focus on air quality norms, specifically those for NO2 and PM10 emissions, rather than on electric mobility as a aim in itself. EVs are supported, though, as a means to meet the air quality norms; - a strong focus on the cost efficiency of policy measures, in order to achieve a maximum improvement in air quality for the given budget. Amsterdam has been the first city to calculate the cost efficiency of measures in detail. This means in practice that measures focus on a limited number of locations where NO2 norms are exceeded. Also, measures focus on this categories of vehicles that generate the largest share in emissions, partly because they are large and heavy (trucks), partly because they make the most vehicle kilometres (vans, taxis). Results so far have been good, but less than expected and hoped for. Several reasons may be indicated for this: - the reductions in emissions from Euro 4 and 5 vehicles were much less than expected; - initial expectations concerning the number of EVs and Euro 6 vehicles that could be introduced have been too high; - the availability of Euro 6 vehicles and electric trucks was less than expected; - the willingness of private parties to invest was less than expected due to the economic crisis. In terms of recommendations, some issues can be identified that may strengthen the position of electric freight transport within the prevailing policies: - it should be considered how to use subsidies in such a way that new initiatives are triggered to improve and demonstrate the reliability and usefulness of electric vehicles, since this remains a main worry for companies that consider electric mobility; - the municipality should use their influence, not as a policy-maker but as a large customer, to stimulate clean mobility, more so than it does at the moment; - urban distribution deserves more emphasis, also taking into account the role of electric boats; - municipal bureaucracy, and divergence of rules between cities and countries remains a problem for firms considering electric mobility; - the results of policy and of pilot studies so far indicate that at the current stage of development, electric freight transport requires a tailor-made concept and approach such as city logistics. From the quite elaborated policy in Amsterdam some lessons can be drawn that may also be of use for other cities: - Amsterdam’s policy is characterized to a considerable degree by pragmatic, small, local and efficient interventions, strongly focused in terms of vehicle categories and locations; - it focuses on measures that generate the most effect per euro invested. This approach is based on elaborate calculations that resulted in the Cost Abatement Curve that guides the selection of policy measures.

Original document

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