Wingcopter, in collaboration with the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, has launched a pilot project that will offer drone deliveries in remote districts.
This means residents of remote districts in Michelstadt, Hesse, will gain access to fast and emission-free deliveries using Wingcopter’s drones and cargo bikes. The project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, focuses on improving local supply in the region.
Fresh produce by air
Initially, the districts of Rehbach and Würzberg, situated outside Michelstadt, will be trialed.
Residents can order items such as milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and canned goods via the website LieferMichel. Wingcopter will deliver these orders to landing points in the area, from where they will be transported to customers by electric cargo bikes.
It will start by offering a range of products from the local REWE store, with plans to include other local retailers as the project progresses.
The program’s partners include the city of Michelstadt, REWE, Vodafone, and Riese & Müller. Vodafone provides the necessary mobile communications infrastructure for secure drone-ground station communication. Riese & Müller supplies the cargo bikes used in the last-mile delivery segment.
The pilot program
The Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences is conducting a scientific evaluation of the service from economic and ecological perspectives during the trial.
Many local retailers in the villages involved have closed their stores recently, compelling residents to travel to Michelstadt or other towns for shopping, sometimes over 10 kilometers each way.
LieferMichel enables users to avoid these trips, especially for smaller errands weighing up to 4 kilograms. The project partners believe this initiative will create a sustainable and scalable business model, enhancing local supply in other rural regions of Germany by delivering everyday goods quickly and ecologically.
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The project, set to run until the end of 2023, aims to develop an efficient and environmentally friendly service model for rural areas. The partners hope to extend the initiative if the initial phase proves successful.
The drone team
Wingcopter’s CEO, Tom Plümmer, emphasizes the goal of creating a service that adds value to the population in rural areas. “We are really proud to pilot LieferMichel, the first drone delivery service for groceries and everyday goods in Germany. Our biggest goal is to gain experience and evaluate, together with the residents, an environmentally friendly and efficient service that creates real added value for the population in rural areas. We are deeply grateful for the hospitality of the people of Odenwald and the openness with which they have welcomed the project and the LieferMichel team,” he says.
The mayor of Michelstadt, Dr. Tobias Robischon, welcomes the project. “Local supply in more remote neighborhoods is an important issue not only for us in Michelstadt, but in many rural communities in the region. That’s why we’re always interested in innovative ideas and concepts such as delivery by drone and cargo bike and are delighted to be part of this German premiere,” he says.
Michael Reinartz, head of innovation at Vodafone Germany, says, “We are delighted that the DroLEx team is relying on Vodafone’s mobile network to fly the LieferMichel drone, underscoring the crucial role that mobile technology plays in commercial drone flight. After all, especially over longer distances, only a highly responsive mobile network offers the necessary reliability to enable automated drone flights – and thus innovative applications such as food delivery by drone.”
