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.”
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