Unveiled at the Hannover Motor Show in September
this year, Renault showcased the Renault EZ-PRO concept at the 2018 Paris Auto
Show. The concept is the French manufacturer's take on an autonomous, last mile
delivery concept featuring shared customizable robo-pods.
The company says that the professional delivery
services are one of the biggest opportunities for the EZ-PRO, and that it sees
a possibility of E-commerce services using the EZ-PRO for customers who require
immediate delivery, especially in congested cities.
The consumer gets to choose precisely where, when
and how to receive deliveries, and a convoy of EZ-PROs leave from the same hub.
The pods either follow each other by platooning or can move independently and
are managed by the same logistics operator. Each pod has its own paymaster and
carries different types of goods and merchandise. A pod can make a series of
deliveries for one online store and another series for a different store
thereby increasing productivity.
According to Renault, last mile delivery makes up
for 30 percent of traffic in cities, and the EZ-PRO can help minimize that by
offering its autonomous technologies and shared shipping solutions and
eliminating the need for more vehicles on the road, and parking hassles.
According to Renault, the satin finish of the
bodywork, the wheel fairings, and the glossy appearance of the opening panels
and reflective properties help to make the EZ-PRO unobtrusive in the cityscape.
The EZ-PRO is powered by electricity, though the company did not go into the
specifics of the system or powertrain.
