Automotive OEM Groupe Renault is working with La Poste, a postal service company in France, to develop an urban vehicle ecosystem for last-mile deliveries.
At the core of the ecosystem would be Renault’s EZ-Flex electric vehicle, a compact modular rear design car that is connected and equipped with an array of sensors. While the design of the vehicle may change in appearance, it would be used to collect and analyze data on use, routes, mileage, range, speed and the number of stops a postal worker makes in order to understand the reality of last-mile delivery.
The data would then be used along with feedback from delivery workers to adapt the light commercial vehicle to challenges of future urban deliveries to create a more agile and pollution-free delivery truck.
The EZ-Flex is one part of Renault’s plans for the future of mobility involving electric vehicles. In 2018 the company debuted a duo of concept vehicles: the EZ-Ultimo that would function as a high-scale robotaxi and ride-hailing service; and the EZ-Pro concept, a robo-pod concept that consists of an autonomous leader pod and driverless pods that carry content from multiple logistics companies.
