Electric cargo cycles - A comprehensive review

Electric cargo cycles (E-cargo cycles) have the potential to reduce the negative impacts of transportation systems, when utilised for the right application. There is a growing literature pertaining to them, especially for commercial transport. It is essential to have a comprehensive outlook of the prevailing literature to synthesise the existing knowledge base. Therefore, this work comprehensively consolidates the studies in the growing field of E-cargo cycles. The primary focus is on commercial transport. However, insights obtained from the very limited number of studies pertaining to private transport is also presented. Within commercial transport, the focus is on typology, penetration, impacts, and operational and policy requirements. The typology is developed based on (i) Trip type, (ii) Network configuration, and (iii) Fleet composition. The factors influencing the penetration of E-cargo cycles are identified and classified into six groups, namely (i) Operation, (ii) Vehicular, (iii) Infrastructural, (iv) Workforce, (v) Organisational, and (vi) Policy. Furthermore, the impacts of E-cargo cycles are categorised as (i) Economic, (ii) Environmental, (iii) Societal, (iv) Traffic and safety, (v) Operational, and (vi) Governance. Besides, factors that influence the impact on cost-of-using E-cargo cycles are found and grouped under (i) Customer, (ii) Operator, and (iii) Policy maker. To facilitate the selection of network configuration and fleet composition, when beginning to utilise E-cargo cycles, a simplified decision making scheme is provided. Policy requirements discussed in the pertinent literature are also described and categorised as (i) Regulatory, (ii) Incentive, (iii) Infrastructural, and (iv) Awareness creation. Finally, a typology is provided for private transport, along with a summary on penetration and impacts.