Estonian-made unmanned vehicles will provide parcel delivery services in the capital’s Old Town.
The robotic couriers, developed by Viljandi-based Clevon, are allowed to operate in the pedestrian areas of Talinn Old Town by the city government that signed a two-month cooperation agreement for the pilot project with the company.
“Tallinn’s Old Town is a UNESCO heritage site but also an active business location and an attractive tourist destination. Old Town is also a place where people live. It therefore makes sense to use innovative mobility solutions to serve its institutions, businesses and residents,” Tallinn’s deputy mayor Tanel Kiik said in a statement.
“The robotic courier is an all-electric, noise and emission-free means of transport, making it a safer and more environmentally friendly way of delivering goods in the narrow streets of the Old Town compared to conventional motor vehicles,” he added.
According to Arno Kütt, the CEO of Clevon, full-electric vehicles are one of the possible solutions to “help reduce pollution in the centre of Tallinn”. The company partners with DHL for the new courier solution in the Old Town area.
First in Europe to operate unmanned vehicles on public streets
The Clevon’s robot courier has small dimensions – width 1.15, height 1.55 and length 2.5 metres (3.8x5x8.2 feet) – and weighs 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs). To ensure the safety of other road users, including pedestrians, the machine is equipped with six cameras that provide a 360-degree view of the vehicle.
In 2021, the company became the first in Europe to be granted a licence to operate unmanned semi-autonomous vehicles on public streets without restrictions.
Clevon’s unmanned delivery vehicle is currently also tested by an online shopping service Collect&Go in Belgium. There, the vehicle covers a four-kilometre route, from the distribution centre to Collect&Go’s pick-up point in Londerzeel. This is the longest route ever covered in Belgium by an unmanned vehicle.
