Integrated truck drone delivery services with an optimal charging stations

Battery-powered drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), present significant market potential for faster, economical, and eco-friendly urban delivery solutions. Many firms are investing in drone logistics ventures to capitalize on their capabilities. However, the limited range of drone deliveries, dictated by battery capacity, poses a significant challenge. Hybrid delivery systems combining trucks and drones have gained attention to overcome this challenge. Traditional models assume trucks park at customer sites while drones handle additional deliveries, yet this approach may hinder drone efficiency due to constraints in parking availability. Alternative approaches like battery swapping and mobile charging stations on trucks have been explored but exhibit limitations such as blind spots and substantial battery reserves. We propose establishing dedicated drone charging stations and optimizing drone routing for efficient deliveries to address these issues We present a MINLP (Mixed Integer Non-Linear Programming) model aimed at identifying the most cost-effective solution that optimizes both transportation efficiency and charging infrastructure investment. Quantitative experiments demonstrate the efficacy of this approach, alongside sensitivity analysis aiding economic decision-making across various operational scenarios. Notably, our experiments show a 15% reduction in total costs when extending the operational lifespan of charging stations from 2 to 4 years.