Deutsche Post DHL is set to launch drone delivery tests in the Bavarian Alps with an aircraft-style ‘Parcelcopter 3.0’ that will deliver packages directly into a parcel locker for collection by recipients, and is already looking ahead to commercial drone flights within a few years.
The tests will run from this month until March in real winter conditions – even though today’s planned inaugural flight, in the presence of journalists from across Europe, had to be cancelled at short notice due to severe weather.
The fully automated Parcelcopter 3.0 will fly 8km from the village of Reit im Winkel, about 110 km south-east of Munich, to the ski resort of Winkelmoosalm, which lies about 500 metres higher on the German-Austrian border. The flights, which will be at least 80 metres above the ground, will last 6-9 minutes with an average speed of 70 km/hour.
The newly-developed drone, which uses aerodynamic tilt-wing technology for vertical takeoffs and landings, can carry a heavier payload than its predecessor – up to 2kgs – and fly longer distances at speeds of 80-130km/hour. About a third of DHL’s German parcels weigh less than 2 kgs.
If successful, the tests could be followed by the official start of regular commercial flights with a small fleet of drones, DP DHL executives told European media, including CEP-Research, at a presentation in Prien am Chiemsee, near Munich. They declined to disclose how much the company is investing into the drone technology, however.
Jürgen Gerdes, DP DHL board member and head of the PeP division, said: “We want to show that this works, that we can link it with the Packstations and that we can bring it into our network.” The company would target 99% quality for the drone flights.
Looking ahead, he declared: “This will not remain a niche business. It will become a big part of our network. I think we will see a fleet in the future.” He confirmed that the company is in discussions with German authorities about how commercial drone flights should be regulated.
Suggesting a timescale of “1-3 years” for the start of commercial drone flights, Gerdes said the Parcelcopter could be used not only in rural or remote areas but potentially also in urban areas. DHL already uses helicopters for express deliveries in New York and London, he pointed out.
Ole Nordhoff, Senior Vice President Business Customers at DHL Parcel, said: “We’re convinced the Parcelcopter will fly reliably in the next few weeks and months.” However he stressed that the drone is still ‘a research project’ and the company needed to learn how severe weather, especially sudden temperature changes, impacted on flight operations.
He explained that the test flights would mostly be ‘on demand’ with some at scheduled times and would carry a mix of commercial parcels with all kinds of different goods and some internal DHL ‘test parcels’.
The main breakthrough with the newly-developed Parcelcopter 3.0 had been to solve the ‘last-mile delivery’ issue by connecting it to a self-service Packstation via the ‘Parcelstation Skyport’, Nordhoff explained. “We’ve found a solution so the technology can have a direct interface with recipients.”
As the drone approaches the parcel locker, a specially-installed ‘dome’ opens automatically to allow it to land on the roof. The package is then automatically unloaded into a small lift that transports it into the machine for sorting into an empty locker. The recipient is informed that the parcel has been deposited and can pick it up at his/her convenience.
The Parcelcopter can also be loaded with a parcel from the Packstation and, importantly, also automatically exchanges its battery for a new fully-charged one. The entire process takes just a few minutes.
The previous Parcelcopter 2.0 operated 30-40 flights to the North Sea island of Juist in winter 2014/15 carrying small medical items for the island’s pharmacy. Although the flight operations were successful, the quadcopter drone was only able to land but not unload the parcel. A DHL courier based on the island was required to unload the parcel and deliver it to the pharmacy.
Looking ahead, Nordhoff confirmed that the Parcelcopter could be developed to have a range of larger drones with greater payload. “There could be different kinds of planes with a different series of payloads.”
Professor Dieter Moormann, from the Institute for Flight Dynamics at the RWTH Aachen, which developed the Parcelcopter, explained that the drone flies autonomously on a pre-programmed flight route. At present, the route cannot be legally changed during the flight.
