Emission Calculation Model for Vehicle Routing Planning : Estimation of emissions from heavy transports and optimization with carbon dioxide equivalents for a route planning software

Abstract: The transport sector is a major cause of emissions both in Sweden and globally. This master thesis aims to develop a model for estimating emissions from heavy transport on a specific route. The emissions can be used in a route planning software and help the driver choose a route that contributes to reduced emissions. The methodology was to investigate attributes, like vehicle-related attributes and topography, and their impact on transport emissions. The carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions were converted into carbon dioxide equivalents, which were incorporated as one cost together with a precalculated driving time as a second cost in a multi objective function used for route planning. Different tests were conducted to investigate the accuracy and the usability of the model. First, a validation test was performed, where the optimized routes were analyzed. The test showed that the model was more likely to choose a shorter route in general. The fuel consumption values largely met expectations towards generic values and measurements, that were gathered from research. A second test of the model made use of the driving time combined with the emissions in a multi objective function. In this test, a weighting coefficient was varied and analyzed to understand the possibility to find a value of the coefficient for the best trade-off. The result showed that the model generates different solutions for different coefficients and that it is possible to find a suitable trade-off between the driving time and emissions. Therefore, this study shows that there is a possibility to combine emission with other objectives such as driving time for route optimization. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed, where attribute factors and assumptions were varied to see how sensitive they were and, in turn, how much a change would impact the calculated emissions. The result from the sensitivity analysis showed that the changes in topography-attributes had less impact than changes on vehicle-related attributes. In conclusion, this thesis has built a foundation for route planning, based on the environmental aspect, for heavy transports.