Net Zero Energizing Hyperconnected Freight Systems

Net Zero Freight Systems Program

Motivation & Problem Description

  • The push for eco-friendly transportation is growing rapidly, especially for freight trucks. As a result, the industry is shifting away from diesel and moving toward clean energy sources like electricity and hydrogen. Making this switch successful requires well-planned charging and refueling infrastructure designed to support real-world shipping routes and demands.

Objective

  • Hyperconnected logistics hubs are advanced, open-access transfer points that link different parts of supply chain to move freight efficiently. Our goal is to leverage these hubs to build an optimal energy network for electric and hydrogen trucks. We also provide blueprints for hub operations, from battery charging and swapping strategies to hydrogen station design.

Solution

  • We modeled the power grid and hydrogen demand across these hyperconnected hubs to support zero-emission truck fleets at scale. To manage on-site energy efficiently, we built simulation tools to optimize battery charging and swapping strategies, as well as hydrogen refueling station layouts.

Impact

  • This framework provides roadmaps for logistics planners and energy providers to deploy clean infrastructure. By reducing operational bottlenecks and accelerating the adoption of electric and hydrogen trucks, our work helps drive a faster, more sustainable transition toward zero-emission freight systems.
Net Zero Energizing Hyperconnected Freight Systems
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Figure 1: Optimized 2040 hybrid network. Panel (a) maps expected electric-truck demand; panel (b) overlays the same station deployment on HIFLD transmission lines. Marker color indicates hub role; circle area indicates installed charging capacity.
References:

Montreuil, B. (2011). Toward a Physical Internet: meeting the global logistics sustainability grand challenge. Logistics Research, 3(2), 71-87.

Shaikh, S. J., Kim, N., Rababah, M., Montreuil, B., & Smith, J. S. (2023). Modular Containerization of Parcel Logistics Networks: Simulation-Based Impact Assessment.

Thomas, V. M., Xu, Y., Liu, X., Chen, G., Klibi, W., & Montreuil, B. (2024). Network Deployment of Battery Swapping and Charging Stations within Hyperconnected Logistic Hub Networks.

ISyE Faculty PI

Benoit Montreuil

Benoit Montreuil

Coca-Cola Material Handling & Distribution Chair
Professor
Director of the Physical Internet Center and Executive Director of the Supply Chain & Logistics Institute

ISyE ProfilePersonal Website

Project Details

Sponsors:

Research Specializations:

Analytics and Machine Learning Applied Probability and Simulation Optimization Supply Chain Engineering

Application Domains:

Hyperconnected Supply and Distribution Networks Physical Internet Freight Transportation Sustainable logistics

Collaborators:

Dr. Leon McGinnis, Dr. Jihye Jung, Mina Kim, Guanlin Chen, Jorge Garcia, Mingze Li