Renault considers the future of parcel delivery with its new EZ-Pro concept that's an electric, autonomous pod. The company imagines that convoys of these vehicles would travel together autonomously to bring people shipments throughout a city.
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The French brand purposely designs the EZ-Pro to look anonymous and blend into a city so that people don't really notice it working. They are simple, rectangular pods with curved edges. Renault imagines two types of these vehicles. The one in the lead would have a person onboard for making deliveries of fragile or important items by hand. This occupant could also take control via a joystick if necessary. The other EZ-Pros would be full of lockers for storing parcels, and the recipients could unlock them with a smartphone.
Renault believes that one of the advantages of using an autonomous pod for parcel deliveries is that the recipient could decide exactly when and where the delivery arrives. If there's an important package you're waiting for but worried about sitting at the door, a person could request the item to come to their job or after he or she is home from work. People can even track the location of their goods in real time.
The French brand estimates that having a fleet of EZ-Pros on the road would reduce traffic congestion by putting fewer vehicles on the road. Their autonomous tech would connect to a city's infrastructure, including knowing the status of traffic lights, to adjust their driving to smooth out the traffic flow.
The EZ-Pro is only a concept, and it's not clear if Renault actually intends to put a vehicle like this into production. The vehicle is a natural follow-up to the earlier EZ-Go concept that is an autonomous, electric car for future ridesharing programs.
Gallery: Renault EZ-PRO Concept (2018)
Meet Renault EZPRO: a robovehicle AND a concierge for last mile delivery
#INNOVATIONbyRenault
Groupe Renault brings its lastmile delivery vision to life with Renault EZPRO, an autonomous delivery concept featuring shared customizable robopods.
EZPRO keeps a fieldbased human concierge for special deliveries and driverless robopod fleet management.
Highly modular robopods for flexible shipping, EZPRO is a platform designed for delivery companies, logistic operators, retailers and consumers.
Thanks to EZPRO, consumers can choose precisely where, when and how to receive deliveries.
EZPRO contributes to the smart cities of tomorrow by reducing congestion and pollution.
For more information about Renault EZPRO, read our interactive press kit by clicking here. To discover more about our mobility services, visit our dedicated website by clicking here.
Hannover, Germany September 19th, 2018 – Today at the Hannover Motor Show, Groupe Renault introduced the world premiere of Renault EZPRO, an autonomous, electric, connected and shared robopod concept, for the future
of agile, lastmile delivery solutions for every type of professional. Lastmile delivery services are one of the biggest
Hannover, Germany September 19th, 2018 – Today at the Hannover Motor Show, Groupe Renault introduced the world premiere of Renault EZPRO, an autonomous, electric, connected and shared robopod concept, for the future of agile, lastmile delivery solutions for every type of professional. Lastmile delivery services are one of the biggest opportunities for disruption in professional delivery services as Ecommerce continues to explode, consumers want immediate delivery, retailers need to manage delivery costs, and cities continue to look for new ways of managing intensified traffic and congestion.
Manufacturer of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) for almost 120 years, and the European market leader in electric LCVs, Renault is in a leadership position to accelerate change in delivery services and the way we move goods.
EZPRO is a concept that consists of an autonomous leader pod and driverless robopods. Renault believes that the management of the last mile will not be completely automated as people will remain at the heart of transport activities for the foreseeable future.
In EZPRO, the leader pod hosts a human concierge who supervises the delivery of goods and services and its fleet. Released from today’s constraints of driving, the concierge can focus on valueadded tasks, such as supervising the itinerary planning and driverless robopods, or ensuring efficient and customized service, such as inperson, premium delivery of groceries or fragile objects.
In line with Renault “Easy Life” brand promise, EZPRO offers a safe and ergonomic solution for the concierge as demonstrated, for example, by the front access, the joystick controller and easytomaneuver fourwheel steering feature.
The fleet of driverless robopods either follow each other by platooning or can move independently. Consistent with the Renault Pro+ LCV brand promise, tailormade is also a strength of this concept. EZPRO features customizable modules that meet a wide variety of specific business customer needs: for specialists in delivery and last mile logistics, but also for retailers, craftsmen and entrepreneurs.
“Renault EZPRO shows our vision of lastmile delivery integrated with the ecosystem of
smart cities of tomorrow and the needs of professionals. This concept is a solution that would unlock countless opportunities for our various partners, such as we’re showing today with DPD Group, Lomi Coffee, PiperHeidsieck and Patrick Roger,” said Ashwani Gupta, Alliance Senior Vice President, LCV.
"With EZPRO, we continue our exploratory work around urban shared mobility of the future. Focused on delivery solutions, this autonomous, connected and electric concept represents the ideal tool, being both a creator of opportunity for professionals and a facilitator of services for all its users, direct or indirect. It is based on Renault's expertise in commercial vehicles and on the brand's DNA, which places people at the heart of its solutions." said Laurens van den Acker, Senior Vice President, Groupe Renault Corporate Design.
EZPRO is a shared solution. A convoy of pods leaving from the same hub and managed by the same logistics operator can carry different types of goods and merchandise, each pod having its own paymaster, theme, clientele and delivery place. They are however operated by the same electric and autonomous platform. In the same manner, a pod can make a series of deliveries for one online store and another series for a different store. These shared scenarios contribute to maximize productivity and save costs.
EZPRO – a seamless experience for end users (recipients)
EZPRO has been designed to offer an optimal delivery solution for professionals as well as for consumers. Recipients will be able to choose a convenient delivery time and location of their choice. The end user will also be able to choose between receiving his parcel by the concierge or accessing selfservice lockers in the driverless robo pods. These lockers, accessible 24/7, can be opened by the recipient via a mobile phone application.
The shipping solution for consumers will also feature realtime tracking options via mobile with alert services for an even smoother delivery experience.
An overall positive impact for urban life
An overall positive impact for urban life
EZPRO styling has been designed to minimize its visual impact and enhance the pods’ integration into the urban landscape. The satin finish of the bodywork, the wheel fairings, and the glossy appearance of the opening panels and reflective properties help to make the pods unobtrusive in the cityscape.
Last mile delivery makes up 30% of traffic in cities1 a burden which EZPRO can help relieve thanks to its shared shipping delivery solution, flexibility and autonomous driving. These will contribute to fewer vehicles on the road during rush hour, and fewer traffic jams caused by poor driving habits or badly parked delivery vehicles. Smooth traffic flow will be further enhanced by connecting the robovehicle to city infrastructures like traffic lights and traffic control center.
EZPRO is part of a series of Renault concepts that focus on urban mobility services. EZPRO follows the introduction of EZGO an electric, connected, fully autonomous, shared robovehicle for transportation of people. With similar aspiration to bring sustainable mobility for all, EZPRO is 100 % electric contributing to a greener and quieter transport system.