BASALT, Colo. – The Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen is taking a leadership role in deploying electrical logistical vehicles for urban freight movement, setting an example for other cities worldwide, a report said on Monday.

The study was released by the Rocky Mountain Institute, which promotes sustainability around the world.

“In the last three years, nearly 60,000 light trucks and vans have been deployed for urban freight movement in Shenzhen, representing approximately 35% of the city’s overall fleet of urban delivery vehicles,” the report said.

It added that a deeper understanding of Shenzhen’s experience in ELV deployment can be a guidepost for other cities across the world aiming for a cleaner, low-carbon future.

The study explores one of the most important questions to accelerating adoption of ELVs in urban delivery: how to effectively provide charging infrastructure.

Its conclusions are based on the driving records of more than 10,000 electric delivery vehicles in Shenzhen as well as interviews with multiple stakeholders, who own and operate those vehicles and charging stations, RMI said.

“The report serves as a foundation for ongoing, data-driven research to enhance the effectiveness of policy-making regarding commercial EV charging, and to better position the private sector to efficiently invest in the growth of the system,” said Dave Mullaney, report author and manager at RMI.

Through an in-depth analysis, RMI said, it has identified several insights for how to create a better charging climate and support further uptake of electric freight delivery vehicles in all global cities.

“If policy-makers are able to learn from and adopt our report findings to their own environments, they will find much less resistance to electric vehicle adoption,” said Koben Calhoun, principal for RMI’s China program.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency quickly welcomed the report.

“After reviewing this report, it is clear to me that the benefits and challenges of urban electric trucks are more similar than different the world over,” said Mike Roeth, executive director of the organization.

“The North American market can learn a great deal from the work done in Shenzhen.”