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DHL orders 2,000 Ford E-Transit electric delivery vans
Ford's Pro division will provide DHL with more than 2,000 E-Transit delivery vans before the end of 2023.
Tesla's electric trucks may be more cost-effective than expected
When Tesla unveiled its Semi electric truck, it made audacious claims about the big rig's value -- namely, that companies would recoup the cost of the vehicle in 2 years thanks to the savings on fuel. As it turns out, that might have been conservative. DHL exec Jim Monkmeyer told Reuters in an interview that he expects the shipping company to reach that point in a year and a half, saving tens of thousands of dollars per year. The absence of fuel is only part of the equation, he noted. As EV motors are much less complex than the big diesel engines that power conventional trucks, the Semi shouldn't need as much maintenance.
Anheuser-Busch wants to deliver beer with Tesla's electric semi-trucks
Anheuser-Busch just joined the list of companies that have placed an order for Tesla's upcoming semi-trucks. In an announcement today, the beer-maker said it has ordered 40 of the trucks that are set to go into production in 2019. "Integrating the Tesla semi-trucks into the brewer's distribution network will help Anheuser-Busch achieve its commitment to reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025 – the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars from the road globally each year," said the company.
Tesla's latest Semi electric truck customer is DHL
Tesla has scored an order of ten Semi electric trucks from DHL, which plans to use it for short runs and same-day deliveries in US cities, according to the Wall Street Journal. The transport service also plans to trial it for longer trips and evaluate safety, comfort and other concerns. DHL won't be buying the Semi sight-unseen, as it has reportedly test-driven the rig and worked with Tesla over the past few months.
ICYMI: Man-made meteor showers and live molar video
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-338559{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-338559, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-338559{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-338559").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Startup Star-ALE wants to create man-made meteor shower tech in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The Prophix is a video toothbrush tool that can live stream your choppers and save pictures of them to an app in case you're obsessed with the way your teeth look.
Weather could keep delivery drones on the ground
A key threat to delivery drones isn't regulation, it's weather. DHL cancelled a demonstration of its package-toting UAV this week due to snow and a drop in temperatures. The shipping company was originally scheduled to show off a drone that can drop off 2-kilogram packages (around 4.5 pounds) at lockers. This proposed solution is different from the delivery aspirations of Amazon and others that plan to leave orders at your door.
Amazon trial delivers packages directly to Audi cars
Tired of having to stay home (or ship to the office) just to collect your online orders? If you live in Germany and drive the right car, you might not have to. In an expansion of what Volvo tried last year, Amazon is teaming up with Audi and DHL for a trial that delivers Amazon Prime purchases directly to connected Audi cars in the Munich area. All you have to do is provide the rough location of your car during the delivery window -- after that, the DHL courier gets temporary access to the trunk of your vehicle to drop off your packages. Suffice it to say that this could be more than a little handy if you're busy working or visiting family. The trial will only involve a handful of people when it kicks off in early May, but here's hoping that it expands quickly... the days of staring anxiously at your front door could eventually come to an end.
DHL will do delivery-by-drone, but only for one tiny European island
While Netflix laughs, Amazon petitions and Google runs tests in New Zealand, DHL is about to actually launch drone delivery for its customers -- sort of. Of course, it's a rather limited launch, since the only eligible recipients are residents of Juist, a German island in the North Sea. DHL has been testing its PaketKopter system since late last year. Now, in partnership with the German government, it's established a flight path for its UAVs to take off and fly themselves 12km from a harbor in Norddeich to the island at a height of about 50m (164 feet) and up to 18 m/s (about 40mph). There's still no plans to use these for regular service, but you can get a peek at the drone in action by checking out the video after the break.
Deutsche Post shows off its Paketkopter drone delivery service in Germany
Well, it looks as if Amazon really started a trend since taking the wraps off of its Prime Air service. Not long after UPS said it, too, was experimenting with a delivery method lead by drones, Deutsche Post DHL, which is deemed to be the world's largest carrier, has begun to test its very own service in the German city of Bonn. Earlier today, the company used what it is calling the Paketkopter to transport and deliver a box of medicines across the Rhine river, with the entire trip totaling about 0.6 mile and taking the drone around two minutes to complete it. Although this particular Paketkopter model was being controlled by humans, Deutsche Post did say there is an option for its drones to be flown without any assistance and have them rely solely on GPS. However, the parcel carrier isn't actually planning to launch a drone delivery service anytime soon, noting that this stage is only "the beginning of the research project." We'd suggest paying the DW link below a visit, where you'll find a video of the Paketkopter's first successful mini trek.
Microsoft sues DHL over 360s destroyed in train derailment
We all reacted similarly to the news of a DHL freight train derailment in which 21,600 Xbox 360s were lost due to "impact damage, wetting, pilfering and shortage" -- no, not by inquiring about the well-being of those who were on board at the time of the crash. That would be silly. We reacted, as anyone would, with general concern for the Redmond-based software juggernaut whose precious cargo was destroyed in the accident. That's why we were so glad to hear that Microsoft recently filed a complaint against DHL in which they call for $2 million in damages to replace the missing consoles, stating that the shipping company "negligently breached its duties as a common carrier, handler, bailee, warehouseman, agent, or in other capabilities." We agree -- it was incredibly negligent of DHL to allow their train to crash like that. Really, terribly unprofessional.
Microsoft sues DHL over Xbox train derailment
You know who Microsoft hates? No, not Apple. It really hates DHL. Apparently, the delivery service has hit the folks in Redmond where it hurts: in the Xbox. It seems that 21,600 consoles were totally messed over by "impact damage, wetting, pilfering and shortage" when one of the company's freight trains derailed en route to Long Beach, California. The big M claims that DHL refuses to compensate for the lost goods, and has filed a complaint at a US District Court in Seattle, calling for $2 million in damages and stating that the shipper "negligently breached its duties as a common carrier, handler, bailee, warehouseman, agent, or in other capabilities." Harsh words, but really, who's to blame for this mess? Next time we suggest going with G.O.D.[Thanks, Andrew S.]
Surprise! Biggest drawing now biggest GPS hoax in the world
We had a pretty good idea that not only was this whole "Biggest Drawing in the World" business fake, but also impossible. First, we were skeptical that DHL could make deliveries based on coordinate instructions. Then, we determined -- with little effort -- that the little campaign was a DHL ad. Now we have a straight-up admission from artist Erik Nordenenkar and DHL that entire thing was fictional. Appearing at the bottom of Erik's site -- after the fact and millions of hits -- are the following words: "This is fictional work. DHL did not transport the GPS at any time." Meanwhile, DHL offered that this was an innocent college project and they were happy to let Nordenenkar film in their warehouse, use their name, and make false claims regarding the whole shenanigan. So, there you have it. The videos, briefcase, DHL receipts -- all spam. Move along.[Via Wired]
World's biggest drawing created with the help of GPS and DHL
There are all sorts of creative uses for GPS, but here's a fellow who says he sent a self-designed GPS "device" in a briefcase to DHL with express travel instructions. He plotted the shipment's movement and ended up with the drawing you see above. We're a bit confused. First, he says he developed a GPS device with extended tracklog and battery time. Okay, but... using what, exactly? Also, we've received some things from DHL, and we have a hard enough time just getting them to deliver stuff to the right address, let alone make circles in the Caribbean in the name of art. To be fair, his documentation looks complete, so serious kudos to him if this is all for real. Peep the travel instructions document that he says he gave to DHL along with shipping receipts and video after the break.[Via Hack a day]Update: Ah, well that explains why DHL went out of its way to do a bunch of backtracking loops over the ocean -- it was an ad (supposedly in the name of art). From the "artist's" site: "The best advertising is developed with society. using [sic] a GPs [sic] and the express shipping company DhL [sic], i [sic] drew a self-portrait on our planet. i [sic] used the technological aids of our time to make the world's biggest drawing, along with advertising adapted to the contemporary era. a [sic] campaign the recipient wants to see and which is interesting enough for people to want to share it with their friends."Way to sell out, Erik. [Thanks, Chris]
No Super Mario Galaxy 'R' Us
Yes, we made the trek to Toys "R" Us yesterday to purchase Super Mario Galaxy and take advantage of the "Free $25 Gift Card" offer, only to come out empty-handed. We haven't been this depressed since James died in Good Times.We weren't the only ones who found ourselves sans Super Mario Galaxy, as many are reporting similar experiences with the toy superstore. Some locations only received enough copies to cover preorders, while others quickly sold out of their limited stock. In our case, as well as many of our reader's, we waited around for an hour with several dozen anxious customers before a manager announced that DHL hadn't made its delivery to the store. Hell was raised and magazine racks were knocked over, but to no avail.How did your Toys "R" Us experience go? Were you able to acquire Super Mario Galaxy, the free gift card, and the preorder bonus coin without any problems? Or did you mope around all night like we did, walking aimlessly from room to room, head hanging dejectedly while the sad music from A Charlie Brown Christmas played.
