Climate and the vehicle fleet

“In my thesis project I have developed mathematical models to optimise the combination of leased electric and fossil-fuel-driven vehicles in Syddjurs municipality to minimise CO2 emissions and costs,” says Anne Katrine Tinggaard, who has written her thesis at the Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University.

The method she used for the solution was based on GPS data from locations in Syddjurs Municipality. Among other factors, she took into consideration the demand at each location hour by hour, the charging capacity of the electric vehicles, and the stipulations of the leasing agreements.

In the thesis she described an optimal combination of vehicles at the municipality’s locations based on demand and the existing leasing agreements.

“I have additionally looked at different future scenarios for the development of electricity and petrol prices. Based on the analysis, I have found solutions that could give real reductions in costs and CO2 emissions, and at the same time will be robust in the face of varying scenarios in the future,” Says Anne Katrine Tinggaard.

She also examined the effect of allowing Syddjurs Municipality to redistribute vehicles from their regular locations. Anne Katrine Tinggaard found that the municipality could significantly reduce the number of vehicles, and at the same time reduce CO2 emissions and costs, by relocating the vehicles in the municipality twice a year.

The results of this thesis are relevant, because the solutions can produce a large effect and are easy to implement. In addition, the methods in the solution show considerable potential for a financially sensible contribution to the green transition in municipalities across the country.