In recent years, policymakers of urban agglomerations in various regions of the world have been striving to reduce environmental pollution from harmful exhaust and noise emissions. Restrictions on conventional vehicles entering the inner city are being introduced and the introduction of low-emission measures, including electric ones, is being promoted. This paper presents a method for scenario analysis applied to study the reduction of exhaust emissions by introducing electric vehicles in a selected city. The original scenario analyses relating to real problems faced by contemporary metropolitan areas are based on the VISUM tool (PTV Headquarters for Europe: PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany). For the case study, the transport model of the city of Bielsko-Biala (Poland) was used to conduct experiments with different forms of participation of electric vehicles on the one hand and traffic restrictions for high emission vehicles on the other hand. Scenario analyses were conducted for various constraint options including inbound, outbound, and through traffic. Travel time for specific transport relations and the volume of harmful emissions were used as criteria for evaluating scenarios of limited accessibility to city zones for selected types of vehicles. The comparative analyses carried out showed that the introduction of electric vehicles in the inner city resulted in a significant reduction in the emission of harmful exhaust compounds and, consequently, in an increase in the area of clean air in the city. The case study and its results provide some valuable insights and may guide decision-makers in their actions to introduce both driving ban restrictions for high-emission vehicles and incentives for the use of electric vehicles for city residents.

This article presents research results on a multi-aspect assessment of delivery planning in the urban transport network. The distribution of goods and the operation of a network of small services in urban agglomerations is a very important decision-making problem. This is due, on one hand, to the dense development of urban areas and, on the other hand, to the increasing restrictions on minimizing harmful exhaust gases emitted by cars. Hence, many researchers are looking for decision support methods that take into account many partial points of view in the field of transport services for small service companies located in urban areas. The authors present a method of multi-criteria decision support in the planning of urban supplies, taking into account the minimization of emissions of harmful compounds (carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter), the cost, time, and amount of ecosystem exposure to these compounds. An important aspect of this research was to identify partial criteria of the decision support methodology and the definition of decision variants. The partial criteria included cost, time, and the amount of exposure of the ecosystem to harmful compounds. The Saaty method was used to determine the weights of the criteria.

Efficient transport solutions are based on multimodal systems, with the dominant role of rail and road transport in land versions of the systems and the connecting and directing part of intermodal terminals, transhipment terminals or warehouse centres. The implementation of transport processes is always associated with the risk of lack of timeliness (quality) or threats to people, equipment and cargo (safety) resulting from human, technical, organizational and global factors like pandemics or war. The article contains a risk mapping method in multimodal transport systems configured to estimate the risk of lowering the quality of logistics services (on-time deliveries, etc.). The method combines factors usually considered separately in studies on individual modes of transport. A formal notation of risk factors as a mathematical model was proposed, and a case study was provided to picture the implementation.

This article describes the problems associated with distributed electrical power generation and the most frequent interruptions occurring in power grids. The most common methods of improving the quality of the power supply were analyzed and the possibilities offered by energy storages in this respect were considered. The operating parameters of an exemplary PV system connected to the power grid were analyzed. For this purpose, the model implemented in the Matlab/Simulink environment was used. Based on the conducted analysis and a review of the literature, conclusions were drawn and solutions were presented which could improve the quality and the reliability of power supply. The simulations conducted focused on the co-operation of individual photovoltaic, micro-installations, with rated powers of 12.2, 19.825, and 39.65 Kw in the power grid, which also corresponds to the co-operation of several, smaller micro-installations with low density.

The progressive degradation of the environment makes implementing pro-ecological solutions in various areas of our lives more meaningful. These measures also apply to transport, responsible for around 30% of total carbon dioxide emissions in the EU. Implementing ecological solutions in road transport encounters various barriers resulting mainly from the specificity of transport tasks. One of the most promising solutions in the high-tonnage road transport sector seems to be LNG-fueled engines, which allow for similar operating conditions to traditional combustion vehicles. The article aims to identify the environmental benefits of the use of high-tonnage LNG-fueled vehicles in freight transport and to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the economic efficiency of this solution. The article assesses the effectiveness of using an LNG-fueled vehicle and a diesel-fueled vehicle that meets the highest exhaust emission standard in high-tonnage transport, both in terms of economy and an impact of these solutions on the environment. The research was carried out on a given route, taking into account variants of vehicle manning and simulations of transport cycle time. In conclusion, a discussion of the obtained results was carried out, emphasizing the factors determining the profitability of using high-tonnage vehicles with LNG drive or its lack. Regardless of the indicated lack of clarity in the economic assessment of the effectiveness of LNG drives in high-tonnage vehicles, the identified environmental benefits from implementing these solutions seem to be quite unequivocal. Thus, it should be expected that in the event of loss of economic competitiveness of these solutions, appropriate fiscal instruments should be used - especially since LNG drives in the policies of individual countries are considered pro-ecological solutions.