Renault presents EZ-PRO, the short-haul delivery robot
It is a system of autonomous capsules with which Renault wants to revolutionize the delivery system so that they are environmentally friendly and as cumbersome as possible, relieving traffic.
The Renault EZ-PRO is a zero-kilometer delivery system based on the latest autonomous driving technologies and the connection between vehicle and city infrastructure. Presented at the Frankfurt Trade Fair, EZ-PRO can be read as an answer to Amazon’s solutions, which recently has a fleet of drones for short-haul deliveries.
The main challenge of these solutions are deliveries within the city, which with the emergence of the success of e-commerce are coming to very important volumes.
Renault faces the problem with a series of autonomously driven electric caps that can move intelligently between city streets and deliver. This is not a system that completely excludes human presence, because a deliveryman will travel on the leading vehicle and manage the operations of the other capsules that follow.
The system is designed to be modular and can be adapted to different types of use or delivery. The role of the human being is limited to supervision and control, which eliminates the need to have a person on each capsule. The latter, moreover, can also travel completely independently, without supervision and independently of the rest of the fleet.
The capsules are always connected to a central platform, which guides them with respect to the planned program. The user, on his side, can at any time decide whether to receive the delivery directly at home or go to the nearest locker, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Lockers can be unlocked via an app to download on your smartphone and a special code. Furthermore, on board the capsules there is always a joystick to maneuver the vehicle and four-wheel steering to facilitate maneuvers.
The capsules are equipped with an induction rechargeable electric propeller through the appropriate service areas. Renault has the goal of making its system eco-sustainable and such as to reduce as much as possible the encumbrance, without burdening the traffic.
” Short-haul deliveries account for 30% of city traffic, ” reads a note issued by Renault. ” Ez-Pro is an opportunity to promote clean and efficient transportation in an age when e-commerce is increasingly widespread and consumers demand immediate deliveries, which require cost and time optimization. “
