Sustainability impact of optimizing construction fleet operations

Abstract

Co-Pilot is an onboard display, supported by sensors and cloud services, that delivers real-time data to construction equipment operators to support their daily work. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the changes in performance and user behavior on construction sites guided by Co-Pilot impact the CO2 emissions of the equipment. The product is developed by CPAC Systems AB, for Volvo CE. It is sold as a productivity service, increasing the efficiency of the site. Furthermore, it is believed that Co-Pilot increases the site sustainability by helping reduce the CO2 emissions. The research is focused on understanding how Co-Pilot contributes to sustainability. This is done by comparing user behavior and equipment performance before and after implementation of the product and translating these differences into CO2 emissions. Three different use cases where Co-Pilot is currently used are analyzed and compared to receive diverse perspectives. The applied user study methodology is a quantitative approach supported by qualitative methods to help explain the findings. To conclude, the results are considered positive as more is produced per tonne emitted CO2 at a majority of the studied sites. The fuel consumption and all production category measures included in the study decreased after the implementation of Co-Pilot. To maximize the improvement of sustainability, fuel consumption must be the most decreasing measure out of all production categories, which is the case for two out of three use cases. To improve Co-Pilot and its sustainability impact even further, development should focus on decreasing idling and queuing times, and strive to make Co-Pilot even easier to use and understand to promote full utilization.