The Swedish municipality of Värmdö kommun in Stockholm has introduced a new drone delivery service for a populace of 10,000. Services provided include pharmacy products, groceries, meals, and retail items from stores and restaurants in Värmdö Köpcentrum.
Foodora Air, the project is a collaboration between three Swedish companies: Tele2, a mobile connectivity firm; Foodora, a restaurant and grocery delivery company; and Aerit, a delivery drone manufacturer. The service will launch in May where only food will be delivered first.
The company offers delivery flights that are conducted beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), which provide households registered with the company with on-demand access to goods and services. Initially, the services will only be available on weekends, but they are expected to expand to cover more days of the week.
“Establishing our first delivery hub is a major milestone for Aerit and drone services in Sweden. We are turning 30-minute car trips into 7-minute battery-powered flights,” said Alexander Perrien, CEO of Aerit. “Värmdö Kommun has been a great partner in this journey assisting with everything from identification of potential locations to land permit applications. We look forward to enhancing the sustainability and accessibility of the community,” he added.
Nimbi, the aptly named drones are equipped with six weatherproof motor/propeller units arranged in three sets of two at the ends of its three arms. They have a maximum load-carrying capacity of 8.8 lb (4 kg) in a 10-liter (2.6-gal) cargo compartment.
Each of these drones can travel up to 7.5 miles (12 km) when fully loaded, while it can go as far as 13 miles (21 km) if empty. While hovering, it produces a motor noise level of 65 decibels.
Resembling old-school milk churns, the Nimbi can pick up and deliver cargo using its unique winching mechanism. This winch enables package pick-up and drop-off without the requirement of any additional infrastructure.
Nimbi will be aided by Tele2’s 5G technology, which enables fast and efficient food delivery from several regional restaurants. Food deliveries will start in May on Värmdö and can be ordered via the Foodora app.
“This marks a new era in how people receive deliveries, and we believe we can see more applications in other industries,” says Stefan Trampus, Executive Vice President of B2B at Tele2.
“For us at Tele2, the partnership with Foodora is a perfect example of how we can use our 5G connectivity and expertise to drive future delivery services in a simple, sustainable, and smart way while providing customers with an extraordinary experience,” he added.
