Ford plans self-driving electric delivery van

Ford’s latest self-driving vehicle concept could be an electric delivery van which forms part of the company’s Last Mile Mobility Challenge.

The company plans to bring out a fleet of fully self-driving vehicles for a car-sharing service in 2021 and has since developed the “Autolivery” concept.

It would see electric self-driving vans used with drones to pick up and drop of goods and packages in urban areas.

Ford showcased the idea at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and stated that the concept is electric and capable of Level 4 autonomy, which means it can drive itself in certain geographic locations.

This is to tackle the Last Mile Challenge. Ford said that “many companies are working on how to solve the complexity of delivering packages the last 15 metres, or from kerb to door”.

Ken Washington, vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company, said: “Ford has at its heart a culture of disruption and innovation designed to come up with solutions that put people first, to save them time, money and aggravation, and also to make our cities easier to navigate and better to live in.”