Research findings from an Innovate UK-funded project are now out, revealing the opportunities and barriers for increasing data use and sharing in urban logistics.

Findings reveal many areas that could be optimised through fleets and cities working together and sharing data

Project SLICED (Smarter Logistics through In-vehicle, City and Energy Data) was run by Cenex in collaboration with Flexible Power Systems (FPS) and fleets to explore how smart city data can transform urban logistics.

Carried out over eight months, the research explored how the integration of city, vehicle and energy data can assist logistics operators in reducing emissions, preventing accidents and enhancing operational efficiency. Cenex led stakeholder engagement activities in the UK, while FPS built upon its existing electric vehicle logistics management platform, FPS Operate, by developing proof of concept systems to incorporate new data sources.

The project’s findings demonstrate significant potential for smarter, data-driven decision-making in fleet and urban environments.

The final report, now available, details the priorities of fleets and cities and how they can work more collaboratively.

It reveals that fleets most commonly report that inefficiencies in cities are primarily due to delays caused by congestion and challenges related to vehicle routing. Safety and compliance are top priorities for these fleets, which are eager to implement system improvements aimed at reducing accidents and enhancing both safety and driver welfare.

The analysis shows fleets agreed that incorporating more data use was beneficial, but key barriers include the complexity and costs of incorporating multiple systems and hardware devices on vehicles and the additional resources needed to monitor, interpret and act on information. Fleets are looking for systems providing key insights, rather than data and reports.

This study identifies many areas that could be optimised through fleets and cities working together and sharing data – e.g. logistics movements planning, road network status sharing, loading bay booking and much more.

It also reveals that joint areas of interest are strongest when considering the efficiency and safety of the city road network.

The study highlighted that logistics fleets and cities rarely engage in collaborative discussions and demonstrated the value in facilitating dialogue between the stakeholders, recommending that fleet and city decision-makers expand areas of data co-operation, research and demonstration activities.

Fleet and city priorities did not always align, with cities looking to prioritise public transport, citizen safety and traffic control measures, and fleets looking to improve on vehicle and driver monitoring and performance and vehicle routing. There was common ground when it came to improving safety and transport efficiency, with cities interested in understanding how fleet data could be of use to them in the transition to smart cities.

Following the success of the project, Cenex and FPS are working together to develop demonstration programmes, allowing first-of-a-kind implementation of connected city logistics to monitor the benefits.

Steve Carroll, head of research and technical services, Cenex, said: “As we move to smarter, more efficient and resilient cities, it is vital that information is shared across all city stakeholders. It was a pleasure discussing opportunities in this area with fleet and cities contacts and getting a sense of what could be achieved.”

Michael Ayres, managing director at Flexible Power Systems, added: “The road to sustainable fleet operations in cities is a connected one. Fleets and cities have access to more data than ever before. If harnessed correctly, this data can unlock cost and risk-reducing decisions in planning and real-time operations. There’s a risk, though, of fleets and cities being overwhelmed by a deluge of data that become worthless. That’s why automated systems like FPS Operate can produce so much value, they ingest this data and generate insights and beneficial automated actions in the real world.”

The final report findings can be accessed here.