Autonomous robot courier manufacturer Clevon has teamed up with global technology firm ZF, to accelerate the deployment of next generation last mile delivery services using driverless carriers in urban and on-yard environments.
The strategic partnership will see the integration of Clevon’s autonomous carrier vehicles with ZF’s SCALAR AI-based fleet orchestration software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform over the coming months.
SCALAR has been designed to provide real-time fleet orchestration to driverless vehicles of any kind and in most operational domains. Based on years of experience in developing fleet management systems, combined with next-gen AI technology, SCALAR is already actively deployed on public roads and in real traffic conditions.
The Clevon 1 autonomous vehicle, meanwhile, has been tested on public roads in Europe for two years and, according to the company, is proven to be safe and reliable, is environmentally focused with zero CO2 emissions, and reduces last mile delivery cost by 30%.
In September, Clevon teamed up with DPD and international electronics retailer Euronics to test home deliveries for the first time in Estonia. The company is also testing the delivery robot with DHL Express in Estonia and has announced plans to expand to the North American market. Clevon was founded in 2022 after spinning off from Cleveron, a leader in robotic click-and-collect solutions.
Scaling operations
Clevon and ZF teams will now work together to carry out a full-scale integration of the SCALAR SaaS platform and Clevon 1 vehicles over the upcoming months and deploy it to manage Clevon 1 unit fleets on public roads. The integration of ZF SCALAR will allow Clevon to focus on its core competence and the development of autonomous driving functionality and, at the same time, build courier fleets to test its technology and scale its worldwide operations.
“Clevon is making driverless deliveries happen already today. We are active in the US, Belgium, Lithuania, and Estonia; however, we have the capacity to expand more rapidly, and we are ready to safely bring fleets of carriers on public roads. This strategic collaboration with ZF will help us to reach this goal,” explained Sander Sebastian Agur, CEO of Clevon.
Hjalmar Van Raemdonck, Head of Digital System Solutions with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division, added: “Thanks to SCALAR’s automated decision-making, real-time optimisation and advanced operational efficiency, Clevon 1 vehicles will be sent to the right place at the right time.
“More parcels or groceries will be delivered on time with less vehicles to ensure efficient delivery operations and the best customer experience. Our collaboration with Clevon brings a unique combination of next-generation mobility technologies to the market of last-mile delivery,” he added.
