DELIVERIES into city centres or the ‘last mile’ an be difficult at the best of times. Drones or intelligent robots are not cost effective while just-in-time meetings of recipient and delivery vehicle on the streets are unsuitable because it is difficult to predict traffic and human behaviour.
If the vehicle waits until the parcel recipient can get there, the delivery rate falls and the delivery costs rise accordingly.
A new system that eliminates the weaknesses of today’s delivery logistics is needed – and you can always rely on Swiss visionary Frank M Rinderknecht who has come up with the CitySnap concept.
Rinspeed is well known for its off-the-wall concepts at motor shows and the heart of CitySnap is an aviation-inspired quick-swap system that has been tried and tested around the world under all weather conditions.
Basically the service can now come to the customer quickly and easily, regardless of where the customer may be – at home or at work. These can be mobile parcel stations set down for a certain period in an easily accessible area in the customer’s neighborhood.
The Rinspeed solution reduces the number of required delivery vehicles by up to 50% and saves 6% in carbon emissions – per parcel. The company said CitySnap also offers considerable savings potentials in terms of costs. Compared to the conventional parcel delivery, the delivery costs drop by 17% per parcel, a cost advantage that can benefit the consumers.
It added that the greater productivity of the employees thanks to the now eliminated delivery steps more than makes up for the costs for the mobile quick-swap parcel stations and the infrastructure.
These are parcel stations on wheels set up in easily accessible and well-lit places that allow the end customers to get to their pacjages in a safe environment.
The CitySnap concept vehicle will be presented in spring 2021, and talks with potential pilot partners are ongoing.