2024: the Japanese delegation arrives in Paris to participate in the Olympic Games. Covid 20 succeeded Covid 19, but vaccines have solved the problem in the meantime. This time, everything was redesigned to comply with climatic requirements, and the containers of sports equipment arrived separately a week before and were delivered directly to the Olympic village, by CO2-neutral transport and without any handling.
Dream of today, reality of tomorrow? Maybe not !
Starting out in a new profession, such as urban logistics, has some disadvantages for an “outsider”, such as ignorance of the history of the field, its habits and practices often forged by the trials of the past. This initial weakness, however, makes it possible to overcome barriers, often psychological and linked to the sometimes turbulent history of the sector. But that doesn't stop you from dreaming a little.
In my case, a past in technology in the broad sense, at the end of the last century, was marked by the radical transformation of so-called “proprietary” closed universes. One of the few survivors is IBM, at the cost of a radical transformation, towards so-called open universes, where everything communicates with everything (or almost), at high levels of abstraction. The basis of this is interoperability ([1]).
In the field of urban logistics, the constraints seem to be exacerbated at all levels and always in a contradictory manner. Thus, for e-commerce, short deadlines, even very short ones, have become the norm, while the capacity to move objects is restricted. Among all these constraints, a cardinal objective is to avoid shortages, synonymous with additional costs and delays.
To take this ambitious example and therefore dream a little, could we imagine this transport of a container (let's call it a Cube), by plane, to the center of Paris, without handling intervention on the way, and without waiting for 2024 or even more ? It seems that it is possible and close now (2021), as revealed by the meeting and discussions with the founder of the company XYT.
What does it take to achieve this, besides willpower?
- A vehicle to transport cubes or containers (IATA format) from the airport, 19 Ton format.
- An urban hub for transshipment to a light utility vehicle of each cube
- A light urban vehicle, preferably energy efficient (electric?) for last mile delivery
- A software environment and applications to control the device from your smartphone
The first three elements exist today and are approved. The whole thing is to be validated for this specific use, for certification and commissioning in 2021. The fourth will come quickly afterwards.
This type of urban vehicle will be electric as a bonus, designed and manufactured in France. The design was entirely carried out according to its mode of propulsion and for urban logistics uses.
The two key points today are the transfer of the cube (IATA format for air transport) from the initial truck to an urban delivery vehicle and the approval of the device. First point resolved with the diagram attached here, second point which could find its epilogue at the beginning of 2021. And therefore, why not make an appointment in the summer of 2021 for the arrival of the first cubes transported in this way?
Let's now go back in accelerated mode to the 2024 Olympics, for the final scenario:
Departure from country of origin
- Athlete effects are pre-onboarded in the cube
- The cube is transferred to the airport and injected into cargo
- Athletes go to the airport by public transport (a big first!). They only have hand luggage...
Arrived in Paris
- The cube is picked up at the airport by a converted 19T carrier then by a Pixel XL carrier after transfer to an urban warehouse
- Athletes travel by public transport (new first!)
The 2024 Olympics
- Athletes are accommodated in the Olympic village
- The cubes follow their movements between the village and the training and competition sites
- The belongings of athletes and their staff are secure and permanently available
- Athletes can travel by public transport.
A smartphone application allows all delegations to manage material transfers. And usage validates the virtues of the concept, applicable to so many other situations.
[1] Interoperability is defined as the ability of a product or system, whose interfaces are fully known, to work with other existing or future products or systems without restriction of access or implementation. However, it is important to distinguish between “interoperability” and “compatibility”. This interoperability thus makes it possible to create a network, whose strength derives from the strength of its components.
To know more : www.urbanhub
Photo credit : XYT
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