Ford shows “Autolivery” concept at Mobile World Congress
Ford demonstrated its concept for autonomous parcel delivery vehicles – dubbed “Autolivery” – as part of its “City of Tomorrow” display at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. As previously reported, Ford has been rolling out ideas for how autonomous vehicles could be integrated into the “smart cities” of the future, and it is investing heavily in AI technology.
In a statement issued yesterday (27 February) about its Autolivery display at the Mobile World Congress, Ford said: “For more than half a century, vans have played a key role in deliveries. Drones are a modern phenomenon. But the two could work hand in hand to improve mobility in urban areas in one example of Ford’s vision for the “City of Tomorrow”.
“Self-driving vans could quickly and efficiently transport everything from groceries to urgently needed medical supplies on the ground, with drones potentially able to take to the air for the final leg of the journey to reach destinations inaccessible by car, such as high up in a tower block – or where parking would be difficult, impractical, or unsafe.
“The innovative “Autolivery” concept, developed by a team of Ford employees for the company’s Last Mile Mobility Challenge, imagines electric self-driving vans used together with drones to pick up and drop off goods and packages in urban areas. The concept can be experienced through virtual reality headsets at Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry, in Barcelona, as part of Ford’s vision of the “City of Tomorrow”.”
“Autolivery” was developed by Shanghai-based Ford designers Euishik Bang, James Kuo and Chelsia Lau who responded to Ford’s Last Mile Mobility Challenge – to come up with mobility solutions for urban areas.
“It’s all about making life in the city easier. The possibility of harnessing autonomous and electric vehicle technology with drones to quickly and easily send and deliver parcels could help to make life better for everyone,” said Bang.
As previously reported by Post&Parcel, Ford intends to have a “fully autonomous, SAE level 4-capable vehicle” that can be use for applications such as package delivery fleets by 2021.
