Mercedes-Benz Vans has announced it will start a
drone-based delivery system for e-commerce goods in Zurich with US drone
systems developer Metternet and Swiss online marketplace Siroop. The program,
currently in its pilot stage, commenced on September 25 and is the first of its
kind to test in a major urban area.
During the three-week program, customers will be
able to purchase select products from Siroop weighing up to two kilograms. The
drones will then be loaded directly at the merchant and then fly to one of two
Mercedes-Benz Vitos outfitted with custom precision landing technology. These
vans will then stop at one of four pre-defined points in the city and the van
driver will take the item from the drone and deliver it to the customer. The
drone will then return to the retailer. Deliveries will be made on the same day
the item is ordered.
In a statement, head of future transportation at
Mercedes-Benz Vans, Stefan Maurer said “The pilot project in collaboration with
Matternet and siroop affords us the possibility to test our concept in
real-life on-demand deliveries. We want to gain valuable insights for this and
further concepts enabled through van and drone technology. We have the great
opportunity here to conduct the most extensive testing in an urban environment
to date. Validating our concept together with customers and project partners in
an early phase will greatly advance the development. We are demonstrating what
a practical system comprising drones and vans may look like.”
