Will parcels soon be delivered by autonomous vehicles?

Robotic postal delivery has been given the green light: autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) may be hitting German streets as soon as mid-2021. According to the Federal German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, their operation is to be permitted for the first and last mile of goods shipment. The amended legislation is intended to establish Germany as a pioneer in this space.

Demand for home deliveries soared during 2020 as a result of the pandemic. However, even before the lockdowns, CEP providers had struggled to keep pace with a growing number of parcels. Logistics experts worldwide are looking for ways to better manage the situation. Nuro, for example, has launched a pilot project with CVS Pharmacy in Houston, Texas, for the autonomous delivery of medication directly to people’s front doors. And across the pond, in Milton Keynes, UK, robots from Estonian company Starship Technologies are conveying groceries to shoppers’ homes from supermarket chain Tesco – albeit at a speed of 7 km/h and with relatively low capacity.

No canard

Start-up Ducktrain is looking to carry somewhat heftier loads on the last mile. To this end, up to five small electric vehicles form a string-of-ducks convey. “This enables us to convey a volume of goods equivalent to the payload of a conventional delivery van,” states Dr. Kai Kreisköther, engineer and president of the start-up, in conversation with eurotransport. Once the ducktrain has reached its target area, it splits up into individual “ducks” for the last ten to 500 meters to bring the parcels to the front door of the recipient. The train automatically follows the delivery person – who leads the way on foot or bicycle. According to the manufacturer, each duck can carry a euro pallet and at least 300 kilos. Volume production is slated for 2025.

Software-optimized routing

The electric delivery vehicle VanAssist is designed to be bigger and more autonomous, and to emit zero local emissions. The project, which has received funding from the German government, has attracted a number of backers, including parcel delivery service DPD and several universities.