A groundbreaking pilot project underway in Santa Monica, Calif., could help spur the wider and faster adoption of electric delivery vehicles around the U.S.
The initiative, called the Santa Monica Zero Emissions Delivery Zone, offers curbside loading areas designated exclusively for zero-emissions delivery vehicles.
The project — launched in March — is being spearheaded by the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator’s Transportation Electrification Partnership, in collaboration with the City of Santa Monica, to explore new last-mile ideas and technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions during the transportation of goods.
The delivery zone spans a one-square-mile area that is home to nearly 16,000 residents and two major commercial districts: downtown Santa Monica, including the popular Third Street Promenade area, and Main Street. Nearly 29,000 people work in the two districts.
Santa Monica’s zero-emissions project, which is anchored in a highly flexible, collaborative approach to exploring new ideas for last-mile EV deliveries, involves a wide array of delivery, technology and advisory partners selected to participate in the program.
Delivery partners include Ikea and Shopify, along with several other companies that are focused on using the delivery services participating in the pilot program.
Tech companies such as Fluid Truck, a peer-to-peer commercial EV-sharing service; Lightning eMotors, a leading manufacturer of commercial EVs; and Coco, a new robotic delivery service based in Santa Monica; are all involved in the direct transportation of goods in the zone. Other technology partners are charged with helping to facilitate the overall operation or data analysis of the zone.
In addition, companies such as Nissan, Roush Cleantech and Southern California Edison are key advisers, along with community and regional stakeholders.
There are 12 curbside taxicab areas or metered parking areas being designated as zero-emissions delivery zones as part of the pilot program. Officials are planning to convert more curbside spaces into EV delivery zones in the coming months.
Delivery companies participating in the program were provided a vehicle sticker to park in the designated zones. Some of the delivery partners have been allocated designated EV charging areas as well, depending on the terms of their partnership agreement.
Ariana Vito, who oversees the project for the city of Santa Monica, said one of its most pivotal components has been the insight gained from talking with area businesses.
“During the actual scoping for where the parking, loading zones would be, we did a walk with the head of one of the business improvement districts, and he gave us a really good sense of … the busiest areas in this zone that would be most useful to incentivize zero-emissions vehicles,” said Vito.
Officials are still working through a few logistical issues, such as the installation of the camera system needed to monitor the usage of the zones, ensuring that the program’s data-collection element adheres to all privacy standards, and figuring out how to enforce parking restrictions in the spaces.
Julie Johnson, manager of business development for Lightning eMotors, which has been at the forefront of the EV delivery movement, said one of the key components of the Santa Monica project entails educating the community about the benefits of the zones, to get more buy-in on the idea.
“People need to understand the ‘why,’ ” she said. “ ’What is the impact of my decision as a consumer and a community member on this greater goal that we’re all setting forth on the future of zero emissions [and] zero carbon?’ ”
Nissan, which is contributing two e-NV200 electric vans to Fluid Truck, the vehicle-sharing platform for the project, said the program is providing the company with invaluable insight on the growing EV-based delivery sector.
“This pilot will give Nissan a look into the future of local goods delivery utilizing electric vehicles and city-led curb-management policies,” Rachel Nguyen, a director at Nissan who coordinates the automaker’s involvement in the zero-emissions delivery zone project, told Automotive News via email.
The Santa Monica initiative, slated to run until the end of the year, is part of a larger Los Angeles regional initiative aimed at accelerating the number of electric vehicles on the road by 30 percent by 2028, in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics. L.A. is the host city.
The more far-reaching objective, explained Vito, is to create an efficient model for operating an EV delivery system that can be used to help drive similar programs.
“The overall goal is to create a scalable model that can be replicated beyond this small one-mile test zone,” said Vito. “So, whether that’s further throughout Santa Monica, or ideally in other cities, the whole idea is to create a blueprint that can be replicated because there are so many details and logistics to figure out.”