With last-mile delivery solutions being identified as a booming market for autonomous vehicles in the urban environment, a new self-driving vehicle has been unveiled designed specifically to solve the problem of inner city logistics.
The StreetDrone Deliver-E, created by theOxford-based autonomous vehicle solutions company, is a micro mobility solution based on a Renault Twizy that has been equipped with sensors, cameras and lidar for self-driving capability, as well as adapted bodywork to feature space for items such as parcels and food.
“The StreetDrone Deliver-E product delivers a micro mobility last mile solution to the growing concerns over urban congestion caused by too many large white vans being used to deliver tiny little packages. This vehicle is step one in a journey towards small, electric, connected, fully autonomous micro mobility logistics vehicles for the urban city centers,” said Mark Preston, chief strategist for StreetDrone.
StreetDrone collaborated with design studio Astheimer and WMG – an academic department at the University of Warwick – on the solution.
The compact, electric delivery vehicle aims to tackle the challenges of cost effective last-mile deliveries and logistics that hopes to eliminate congestion of larger and louder polluting vans and trucks.
“Imagine a world where small last-mile logistics vehicles quietly organize a city, traveling quietly through the night delivering goods and services,” commented Carsten Astheimer, CEO of Astheimer.
“We saw a niche requirement for this service, and formed a partnership with StreetDrone, who already work with their autonomous-ready Twizys, to make this a reality.”
A fully redundant Level 5 version operating more like a, ‘Amazon locker on wheels’ is planned for the future.
“Our next concept would include individual four-wheel electric motors providing a turning circle better than a London black cab at the same time as adding steering and braking redundancy for full Level 5 capability,” said David Greenwood, professor of advanced propulsion systems at WMG.
