A network design model for a meal delivery service using drones

ABSTRACT

The online meal order and delivery business has scaled up in the last few years. The delivery process is currently performed by self-employed contractors (i.e. cyclists); however, in the future, it might be performed using drones, as some pilot tests are currently experimenting with this possibility. This paper outlines a scenario in which a fleet of drones, performing the deliveries, requires a network of strategically located charging stations to support the business. This paper shows how the strategic location of the charging stations affects the overall performance of the system, where the maximum time the customers are willing to wait is limited. To this end, an optimisation model addressing the trade-off between the number of stations and the coverage of the demand is presented. Although not imminent, due to technology and regulatory constraints, this scenario and the formulated model can open new perspectives in the delivery process of meals and other goods.

KEYWORDS:

• Supply chain network design
• meal delivery service
• urban logistics
• autonomous vehicles
• drones

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The drone can also ‘depart’ from places that are different from a charging station (i.e. the location of the previous delivery) if its battery charge allows for another delivery. However, in this paper, we are interested in the case in which the drone departs from a charging station with a full battery charge.