Deutsche Post DHL tests SmartTruck for faster deliveries and lower emissions
Deutsche Post DHL has unveiled a pilot Smart Truck vehicle to test innovative route planning in Berlin. The project promises better customer service and reduced CO2 emissions for parcel deliveries.
As part of the SmartTruck pilot project in the German capital, two delivery vehicles fitted with dynamic route planning software will operate along routes in the downtown Mitte district from the coming week onwards. During the three-month pilot phase both SmartTrucks will make around 500 pick-up and delivery stops every day alongside other vehicles whose routes have been dynamically planned.
Once the tests have been successfully completed the plan is to deploy SmartTrucks on some 160 parcel routes in Berlin as well as in other German inner- city areas, rural areas and abroad.
Deutsche Post DHL said it is not only testing the functionality and efficiency of a completely new technology but also hopes to make a meaningful contribution towards climate protection. “A concept such as this is completely new in the industry,” said Dr. Keith Ulrich, head of technology & innovation management at Deutsche Post DHL.
“Dynamic route planning not only calculates the best route in advance, the system is also the first to account for real-time traffic information in inner city areas, for example traffic jams or construction sites, and adapts the route accordingly.” This is made possible by monitoring DHL vehicles and almost 500 Berlin taxis using GPS (Global Positioning System), enabling for the first time traffic flows in inner city areas to be measured and responded to accordingly.
“This not only saves on costs and time, but also reduces the vehicle’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions,” said Ulrich. “If the technology proves successful, we will be looking at a significant improvement in our customer service thanks to this innovation.”
The SmartTrucks are not only designed to help protect the environment but also improve the service for senders and recipients. Parcels have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) smart tags attached to them. These enable vehicle loads to be recorded and monitored on an ongoing basis. DHL can thus achieve greater precision in pick-up and delivery, can respond better to ad hoc orders and give precise pick-up times. Customers will be notified by SMS of the planned pick-up time of their parcels.
The SmartTruck technology was developed in the DHL Innovation Center at Troisdorf, close to Bonn. In addition to the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the Deutsche Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center), Deutsche Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence), Motorola and Quintiq are involved in the project.
