Our View: Auto tech has perfect proving ground in last-mile delivery sphere

Every new technology needs a testing ground. And for electric and autonomous vehicles, it looks like the "last-mile" delivery sector is shaping up as the best terrain to refine those growing mobility technologies.

When you look at what makes potential consumers pause when considering purchase of battery electric vehicles, it's issues such as recharging infrastructure and "range anxiety." Resolving these hurdles clearly are key to the long-term viability of BEVs, but in the meantime the last-mile delivery landscape gives a host of opportunities to fine-tune the technology.

With the setup of how goods and services arrive at their final destination, EVs make perfect sense. Delivery vehicles usually spread out via a hub-and-spoke method, so that means miles driven daily are kept to a minimum, and the vehicles return to the same location daily. That means the mileage easily falls within the vehicle's range, and re-charging can be done nightly at the home hub.

The support of the giants of the last-mile delivery game already is helping to push acceptance of EVs, led by Amazon and its pledge to buy 100,000 custom electric delivery vehicles. Tests for EV delivery vans are underway in Los Angeles and will roll out in 15 more U.S. cities by the end of 2021.

The U.S. Postal Service is following suit, inking an agreement with Oshkosh Defense to purchase as many as 165,000 delivery vehicles, with those either EVs or fuel-efficient ICE vehicles that later can be retrofitted with advanced BEV technology. And FedEx is looking to transform its entire fleet to EVs.

Autonomous vehicles also are expected to gain traction in the last-mile delivery world.

Carla Bailo, president of the Center for Automotive Research, said AVs can take a productive role in this model because the number of variables can be kept to a minimum, giving the technology a better chance at success.

There already are some new names and distinctive vehicles that are coming onto this landscape. FedEx has signed on with Nuro for package delivery, and also is utilizing Roxo, an autonomous, electric delivery robot developed in conjunction with Deka Development and Research Corp.

Deka's iBOT electric wheelchair base can negotiate rough terrain, traverse steps and deal with steep inclines, all necessary skills when making deliveries.

For its part, Goodyear has supported Starship Technologies, which builds and operates a network of self-driving robots that carry and deliver packages, groceries and food directly to customers.

As the world continues its march to future automotive technologies, the last-mile proving ground will be one of the steps that leads to the final destination.