Somaca issued the following announcement on Sept. 19.

In a world where galloping urbanization will bring more than 60% to 70% of the population, depending on the region, to live in the city by 2030, the movement of people is not the only one to be redesigned. A new era is also opening up for the circulation of goods: speed, flexibility and reliability are the main characteristics of new consumer expectations, at the time of the explosion in the number of purchases made online. This demand for ever higher and more precise deliveries is accompanied by increasingly stringent regulatory constraints in cities and city centers.

Ensuring sustainable mobility for all, today and tomorrow: this is the Renault Group's credo. To succeed, we develop mobility solutions that cater to the greatest number. Tomorrow's mobility will be electric, connected, autonomous and shared. Including for delivery, especially the "last mile".

Our vision of the future of urban delivery is based on our nearly 120 years of experience in the commercial vehicle sector and our passion for innovation to make life easier for our customers. It is nourished by our DNA which places the human at the heart of the design of our vehicles. It also relies on openness to partners, in an open innovation approach to go further and explore new horizons.

That's what makes this vision unique. It revolves around four main themes: 

We believe that the last mile urban delivery sector is one of the most important to create a real disruption in order to invent a clean, efficient future that limits unnecessary traffic. 

We believe that deliveries must be flexible and that the same platform can be used in both B2B and B2C scenarios. 

We believe that parcel delivery must be fluid. Recipients must be able to choose exactly where, when and how the goods must be delivered. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we believe that the future of urban delivery will retain a human hand-which remains an essential link in the delivery chain.

This vision is illustrated by Renault EZ-PRO, a robot-vehicle concept for last mile urban delivery that integrates a concierge, in a scenario that retains its share of human.

EZ-PRO at a glance

The Renault Group unveils its vision of the future of last mile urban delivery with Renault EZ-PRO, an autonomous electric concept of connected and shared pods.

Ultra modular for greater flexibility, EZ-PRO is based on a tailor-made platform designed for last-mile delivery and logistics specialists, but also for traders and end customers. This futuristic concept consists of an autonomous pod leader and one or more autonomous robot-s (s), which can adapt to a wide variety of uses and formats. 

EZ-PRO hosts a human concierge who oversees the delivery of goods and services but also the fleet of autonomous robot-pods that accompanies it. This unique proposition in the world of robot-vehicles is that the Renault Group believes that humans will remain for a long time at the heart of transport activities. 

With EZ-PRO, end users can choose exactly where, when and how to receive their deliveries, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The loading area, the bins and the different delivery methods offered on EZ-PRO are adapted to the variety of packages transported. 

EZ-PRO contributes to the smart cities of tomorrow by reducing traffic and pollution. The design of the pods has been designed to minimize their visual impact and promote their integration into the urban landscape. 

EZ-PRO is part of a series of Renault vehicle-robot concepts focused on urban and shared mobility services.

Original source: https://media.group.renault.com/global/fr-fr/renault/media/presspacks/21215570/renault-ez-pro-un-robot-vehicule-pour-les-livraisons-urbaines