From Mercedes, a fully connected van concept

The Mercedes Vision Van features an automated cargo space and drones that can fly off for autonomous air deliveries.

“At Mercedes-Benz Vans we are constantly seeking for innovations to improve the efficiency for our customers and actively supporting their businesses”.

Three basket size are available, ranging from 300mm by 305mm to 450mm by 645mm, and each one can hold a parcel weighing up to 31kg. It focuses on full digital integration, from the distribution center to the consignee. The first project bringing this vision into reality is “Vans and Drones” (see video here). The van also incorporates Mercedes’ autonomous slide deck that comes pre-loaded with packages and Matternet’s autonomous drones to deliver them to customers.

Mercedes-Benz Vans has previewed its “adVANce” initiative and the futuristic Vision Van concept. This all-electric vehicle combines various innovative solutions for last-mile delivery in urban and suburban environments.

The new van will be fully electric with a travel range of 80 to 270 kilometers.

The concept van will debut in the flesh at the 2016 Paris motor show. At the same time, the system can load up to two M2 drones with packages for aerial deliveries within a distance 10 km (6.2 mi). Plus, Starship Technologies still plans to use human drivers in the Mercedes-Benz vans. In future these intelligent mobility concepts could supplement public transit by making fast, efficient and individual transport of passengers possible during peak and off-peak hours via ridesharing concepts. “We are driven by a common vision to automate last-mile logistics, which today is the least efficient and most expensive part of logistics”.

While known in America for luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz has a rather impressive van portfolio. Till then The company will keep researching and working out the best ways to develop this technology even further. It has teamed up with drone company Matternet to create a concept vehicle dubbed the Vision Van which would deploy drones from its rooftop to carry packages over the final leg of their journey.

A report previous year from the University of Oxford suggested as many as 35% of jobs are at high risk of being lost to automation in the next two decades, but a Pew Research survey of AI and robotics experts suggested half believe such technologies will make more jobs than they create. EBIT and return on sales climbed by 56 percent and 30 percent to 702 million euros and 11.2 percent reaching a new record level (prior-year: 449 million euros and 8.6 percent). We’d use the roof-mounted drone for fetching more beer.