Clevon, Estonian provider of autonomous delivery vehicles, performed its first U.S. autonomous delivery with CLEVON 1, the company’s flagship multi-platform all-electric robot courier at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) in Fort Worth.
This cooperation comes less than three months after the company moved its U.S. headquarters to the MIZ.
“This is a momentous day between the growing partnership between Clevon and Hillwood as CLEVON 1 made its first successful delivery through an urban environment in the U.S.,” said Meelis Anton, Clevon’s U.S. chief operating officer. “With demand for autonomous last-mile delivery solutions booming on a global scale, Clevon is forever changing the way in which goods are transported, logging over 12,000 miles autonomously delivering goods abroad, and now here in the U.S., Hillwood’s Mobility Innovation Zone platform is helping Clevon advance and commercialize our autonomous technology, and we look forward to continued deployments in the future.”
CLEVON 1, working with real-time obstacles, delivered gourmet meals from O’Neill’s Inflight Catering to Alliance Aviation Services team members in the new, fixed-based operation (FBO) facility at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The robot courier traveled along the 3.6-mile route adjacent to I-35W traveling along Eagle Parkway, turning southbound on Heritage Parkway before arriving at its destination, 13901 Aviator Way. The combination of fast-service area mapping, telesupervision and autonomous driving capabilities enables CLEVON 1 to be deployed in new service areas in a very efficient way.
Clevon’s expansion into the North American market comes as the pressure from businesses and consumers to offer on-demand, same-day or next-day delivery of goods continues to skyrocket. Clevon’s driverless robot couriers shall drive on public roads and enable the transportation of goods to be more energy-efficient, cost-effective and scalable. CLEVON 1 has been tested on public roads in Europe for over two years and is proven to be safe and reliable. It is environmentally focused with zero CO2 emissions and reduces last-mile delivery labor costs by up to 90%.
“Businesses will need to differentiate and innovate their last-mile delivery solutions to compete in a marketplace where on-demand delivery options dominate,” said Ian Kinne, director of logistics innovation at Hillwood. “AllianceTexas and our Mobility Innovation Zone continue to be the go-to place for mobility visionaries to comprehensively scale and commercialize new technologies. By connecting to the established infrastructure and ecosystem at the MIZ, Clevon’s forward-thinking technology will enable them to provide alternative last-mile solutions in the supply chain here in North Texas.”
Recently expanding its services and opening a location at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, O’Neill’s Inflight Catering provides first-class catering services to the growing private airplane community. O’Neill’s kitchen operations are 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Fort Worth has been the place to be for a long time now, and we’re thrilled to partner with Clevon and Hillwood at the AllianceTexas MIZ to demonstrate this new technology,” said Neill Reagan, owner of O’Neill’s Inflight Catering. “Today’s accomplishment shows the direct benefit to businesses looking to solve recurring, on-demand delivery needs. We want people to enjoy our food any way they can get it, and it’s even better when it’s environmentally friendly and contributes toward a climate-neutral economy.”
Hillwood and Alliance Aviation Services recently opened the new, highly-amenitized FBO facility at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, combining award-winning service and state-of-the-art accommodations with innovation. The 209,000-square-foot facility at 13901 Aviator Way includes 68,000 square feet of additional hangar space that supports general and corporate aviation as well as military and air cargo operations.
