The United States Postal Service delivers 23.8 million packages per day, while UPS hands over 24.3 million. That’s a staggering amount, so it’s not surprising that a number of companies are looking to grab a slice of the delivery market. One of the latest is B–ON, which used CES to showcase their Pelkan electric light commercial vehicle. Designed for last-mile deliveries, the model combines a futuristic front end with a traditional rear box.
However, don’t let the box fool you as
it’s hiding a revolutionary secret known as the smart dispenser. As the company
explained, it’s a set of rotating shelves that spin around inside the box. While
that doesn’t sound too remarkable, B-ON said techs scan the address of each
package as it is loaded onto a shelf. When the delivery driver approaches that
address, the shelves spin around to get the package ready for when the vehicle
arrives at the destination.
The company says this eliminates stacking
and sorting, which saves at least 15 seconds per package. With 250 packages per
day that saves over an hour. That’s pretty remarkable and B-ON said the
technology “pays for itself within six months of use due to the increase in
productivity for drivers.” The Pelkan will be launched later this year with 43
and 54 kWh battery packs. The latter promises to deliver a range of up to 298 km.
The batteries power an electric motor that
develops 116 hp and 256 Nm of torque. It will
enable the model to hit a top speed of 121 km/h. Other highlights
include a payload capacity of between 1,234 and 1,320 kg.
B-ON also said the model can go from a 30-80% charge in approximately 30
minutes with a DC fast charger.
