Small electric vehicles in commercial transportation: Empirical study on acceptance, adoption criteria and economic and ecological impact on a company level

Small electric vehicles (SEVs) in commercial transportation have the potential to reduce traffic and its impacts, especially in urban areas. Companies, however, are still reluctant to implement SEVs. Therefore, the aim of this contribution is to shed light on the acceptance of motives for and obstacles to the use of SEVs in commercial transportation. Since the use of SEVs is often discussed in the context of innovative city logistics concepts, such as micro-hubs, our aim is also, to explore the acceptance, economic, and ecological potentials of SEVs in combination with micro-hubs. We use a multi-method approach and combine an online survey with in-depth interviews as well as a total cost of ownership (TCO) and CO2 calculation. Analyzing 350 responses to an online survey revealed that around half the companies surveyed have no knowledge of SEVs. This implies high unexploited potential, since 25% of these companies can imagine using them. In-depth interviews with logistics service providers (LSPs) or logistics departments from different sectors revealed that six of the 13 interviewed LSPs would be willing to implement this concept.