Many of us will be familiar with package deliveries by truck, some may get their hot meals delivered by cargo bike and a few might even have had meds arrive by drone. Now Renault has combined all three for the E-Tech Master OptiModale concept.
The all-electric package delivery triple starts with a 3.5-tonne long-wheel-base L3H1 Master E-Tech Platform Cab configuration from Renault Trucks with a R75 electric motor and 33-kWh battery pack combination for around 128 km (80 miles) of per-charge driving – though a 53-kWh battery has been introduced recently for increased range.
The platform out back has been fitted with a custom 4,100-mm (161-inch) Low Loader Luton body from Horton Commercials that's decked out with folding shelves for stowing parcels. But some of its storage capacity has been given over to a nook for an Bullitt cargo ebike from Denmark's Larry vs Harry that can be lowered to the pavement using an included bike lift.
The eBullitt sports an aluminum frame in red with a white cargo box capable of hauling up to 100 kg (220 lb) of smaller packages around the neighborhood, and features a Shimano STEPS drivetrain that Renault reckons should be good for up to 50 km (31 miles) of pedal-assist per charge of the removable battery – which takes four hours to fully charge but can be topped up to 50 percent in an hour or so.
The final member of the OptiModale urban delivery power trio is what looks to be a Magpie quadcopter from UK drone maker UAVtek, which can reportedly carry up to 2 kg (4.4 lb) of cargo and has a per-charge flight time of up to 38 minutes. This rests on a retractable helipad above the Bullitt cargo ebike storage area between jobs and Renault imagines it being used to haul small packages over open countryside or short stretches of water to remote customers.
For the moment, it looks like this three-in-one electric package delivery idea is just a concept, though Renault Trucks clearly has a working prototype in the bag. There's no word on if or when the OptiModale will make it into production.
Source: Renault Trucks
