Ford and Hermes Launch Pilot Project with Autonomous Driving

The express delivery service Hermes is the first customer of Ford to deploy a research vehicle that delivers packages efficiently and environmentally friendly to urban households. With the new research program on self-driving vehicles, Ford aims to gain further insights into how autonomous transporters can be commercially utilized.

(Cologne/Hamburg) Package delivery to the doorstep has become more common than ever in our daily lives. However, the way packages are delivered could soon change radically: Ford is researching together with the delivery service Hermes the possibilities of using self-driving transporters for the so-called “last mile.” The two-week practical test in London is part of Ford’s new research program on autonomous vehicles and their potential for commercial use. Hermes is participating as the first company in this pilot project. The delivery service is considered one of the leading parcel carriers for households in the UK.

With a modified Ford Transit van, both partners want to understand how other road users behave towards a seemingly driverless transporter.

Driver is still there, but remains invisible

In fact, a human continues to steer this light commercial vehicle – European legislation currently does not allow anything else. However, the delivery vehicle is equipped with all the typical sensors of a fully autonomous car and initially appears completely unoccupied. The driver remains invisible to outsiders.

“In our endeavor to bring autonomous vehicles to the roads, we are not only focusing on technology – we believe it is important to strengthen our customers’ business models as well,” emphasizes Richard Balch, Director of Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility at Ford Europe. “To understand where they need to adapt, there is no better way than to test certain processes in reality.”

Ford combines its extensive experience in the development and production of light commercial vehicles with the expertise of delivery services. The goal is to identify new opportunities and models for autonomous vehicle operations. Ford particularly wants to gain insights into how existing processes and human interactions work in conjunction with automated vehicles. Delivery trips therefore form an ideal testing ground.

Couriers request the vehicle and deliver on foot

The thought behind it: In logistics, the driver does not just steer a truck or transporter – they are also needed for many other tasks. Sorting and loading goods can be part of it, as well as personally handing over packages to the recipient or reloading if the recipient was not available.

In contrast to these usual role models, the “invisible” driver in the ongoing practical test by Ford and Hermes behaves completely passively. The delivery is taken over by couriers on foot: They can request and stop the delivery vehicle via a smartphone app developed by Hermes. Once the transporter is parked safely, they unlock the door to the cargo area remotely. There, voice prompts and monitors guide them to their designated package compartment. Understanding and designing the interaction between humans and vehicles opens up the possibility for business processes to run safely even without the presence of a driver.

The research project by Ford and Hermes builds on the success of Ford’s “Last Mile Delivery Test” in London. In this project, couriers received packages from a delivery vehicle and completed the last leg to the recipient on foot. This solution achieved fast and efficient package delivery in the city center. Based on the results of the practical test, Hermes and other companies can now develop processes on how their employees could cooperate with driverless vehicles.

Understanding the potential of autonomous vehicles

“We find the collaboration with Ford on this feasibility test exciting. We want to understand the potential of autonomous vehicles and assess whether they could play a role in the delivery business in the long term,” says Lynsey Aston, Head of Product, Innovation, and Onboarding at Hermes. “We are constantly developing and researching innovative concepts like this and look forward to the results, which will undoubtedly be beneficial across the industry.”

Ford is already testing self-driving technologies in several major U.S. cities. By 2025, the company will have invested around seven billion U.S. dollars in autonomous vehicles over ten years, with five billion of that from 2021 onwards. The investments are part of Ford’s mobility initiatives.

In collaboration with Argo AI, the technology partner for self-driving systems, Ford deploys autonomous vehicles day by day in six American metropolitan areas. Last year, some of them delivered fresh food to urban schools as part of a charitable project in Miami.

Photo: © Ford