Suitable solutions and EU regulatory framework of electric light mobility vehicles for last-mile delivery: an overview

Due to current environmental European regulations in terms of pollutant emissions, electric cargo cycles are receiving growing interest compared to heavy-duty vehicles as a cheaper and healthier alternative for last-mile delivery of goods in urban and suburban areas. Within the PNRR Next Generation EU program, the Sustainable Mobility Center aims to design innovative e-cargo bikes considering technical features along with rider behaviour and infrastructure characteristics. The market offers plenty of solutions, which may differ in technical and design features. Nowadays a standardized terminology, widely shared among researchers for those light mobility vehicles does not exist. Several authors employ different terms or introduce classifications based upon the vehicle type of use or even on the vehicle layout (e.g., payload position or number of wheels). Concurrently, EU regulatory framework is undergoing rapid changes and appears unclear. Certain categories of light mobility vehicles might be ruled out from the type-approval system established by the regulation EU 168/2013. For those vehicles, harmonised standards are under drafting or approval. This situation requires a considerable effort among manufacturers in the identification of the proper product directives or regulations and the associated mandatory requirements and testing procedures for the introduction of a new vehicle model in the market. Within this context, an overview of the EU regulatory framework for these light mobility vehicles is presented. A literature evaluation with a structured and coded methodology of scientific databases, company websites and commercial reports is performed, evaluating commercial and prototype solutions of e-cargo bikes from a technical and legislative perspective. Furthermore, a case study is addressed, deepening the national legislation which rules the use of e-cargo bikes in Italy. The information provided in this work may be useful among manufacturers as a starting point for the design process of these types of vehicles. Moreover, this paper lays the foundations for a widely recognized taxonomy of e-cargo bikes based upon distinctive features.