Professor University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California, United States
Abstract: As online food delivery continues to grow, the number of delivery vehicles on urban roads has increased, exacerbating traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. Sidewalk Autonomous Delivery Robots (SADRs), characterized by their small size, fully electric operation, and primarily sidewalk-based movement, are emerging as a promising technology to mitigate these issues. This paper examines the potential of SADRs to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce emissions, with a particular focus on on-demand food delivery. We apply Continuous Approximation models, incorporating data from Coco Delivery—a SADR company based in Los Angeles — along with EMFAC2021 emissions data and eGRID 2022 and eGRID 2020 PM2.5 datasets to estimate vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and emissions of conventional human-operated delivery vehicles under three different scenarios. We then compared these results with corresponding SADR data to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing VMT and emissions under the same delivery demands. The findings indicated that SADRs can eliminate 0.7 to 1.59 VMT per order and reduce various types of emissions by 67% to 99.9% depending on the scenario. These results suggest that SADRs may be an effective tool for reducing both roadway traffic and emissions. Based on these findings, we offer two policy recommendations: (1) Promote SADR adoption by supporting regulations that encourage their use and the replacement of conventional delivery vehicles, and (2) Develop SADR-friendly sidewalk infrastructure, improving sidewalk conditions to accommodate SADRs and enhance accessibility for all users, especially disabled travelers who benefit from the same infrastructure improvements as SADRs.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees can expect to learn the following from this session:
Upon completion, participant will be able to explain the role of sidewalk autonomous delivery robots (SADRs) in urban delivery systems and their potential impact on traffic and emissions.
Upon completion, participant will be able to perform basic calculations of vehicle emissions using emissions data relevant to California, such as EMFAC2021 and eGRID datasets.
Upon completion, participant will be able to compare the effectiveness of SADRs with conventional delivery vehicles in reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and emissions under different delivery scenarios.
