Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely applied in logistics companies’ urban logistics distribution, as fuel prices increase and environmental awareness grows. This study introduces an EV charging station (CS) location-routing problem with time windows and resource sharing (EVCS-LRPTWRS). Resource sharing, among multiple depots within multiple service periods is proposed to adjust the transportation resource configuration for a sustainable logistics development. Solving the EVCS-LRPTWRS involves a periodic CS location selection and a multi-depot multi-period EV routing optimization. A bi-objective nonlinear programming model is proposed to formulate the EVCS-LRPTWRS with a minimum total operating cost and number of EVs. A hybrid algorithm combining the Gaussian mixture clustering algorithm (GMCA) with the improved nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (INSGA-II) is designed to address the EVCS-LRPTWRS. The GMCA is employed to assign customers to appropriate depots in various service periods in order to reduce the computational complexity. The INSGA-II is adopted to obtain the Pareto optimal solutions by using the CS insertion operation to select CS locations and integrating the elite retention mechanism to ensure a stable and excellent performance. The superiority of the hybrid algorithm is proven by comparison with the other three algorithms (i.e., multi-objective genetic algorithm, multi-objective particle swarm optimization, and multi-objective ant colony optimization). An empirical study of the EVCS-LRPTWRS in Chongqing City, China is conducted. Then, four types of service period divisions and three scenarios of resource sharing modes are further analyzed and discussed. The empirical results demonstrate the validity and practicability of the proposed solution method in realizing a sustainable operation in EV distribution networks.

Dynamic customer demands impose new challenges for vehicle routing optimization with time windows, in which customer demands appear dynamically within the working periods of depots. The delivery routes should be adjusted for the new customer demands as soon as possible when new customer demands emerge. This study investigates a collaborative multidepot vehicle routing problem with dynamic customer demands and time windows (CMVRPDCDTW) by considering resource sharing and dynamic customer demands. Resource sharing of multidepot across multiple service periods can maximize logistics resource utilization and improve the operating efficiency of delivery logistics networks. A bi-objective optimization model is constructed to optimize the vehicle routes while minimizing the total operating cost and number of vehicles. A hybrid algorithm composed of the improved k-medoids clustering algorithm and improved multiobjective particle swarm optimization based on the dynamic insertion strategy (IMOPSO-DIS) algorithm is designed to find near-optimal solutions for the proposed problem. The improved k-medoids clustering algorithm assigns customers to depots in terms of specific distances to obtain the clustering units, whereas the IMOPSO-DIS algorithm optimizes vehicle routes for each clustering unit by updating the external archive. The elite learning strategy and dynamic insertion strategy are applied to maintain the diversity of the swarm and enhance the search ability in the dynamic environment. The experiment results with 26 instances show that the performance of IMOPSO-DIS is superior to the performance of multiobjective particle swarm optimization, nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II, and multiobjective evolutionary algorithm. A case study in Chongqing City, China is implemented, and the related results are analyzed. This study provides efficient optimization strategies to solve CMVRPDCDTW. The results reveal a 32.5% reduction in total operating costs and savings of 29 delivery vehicles after optimization. It can also improve the intelligence level of the distribution logistics network, promote the sustainable development of urban logistics and transportation systems, and has meaningful implications for enterprises and government to provide theoretical and decision supports in economic and social development.