Today, Aerit announces it will pilot drone delivery services to the Swedish archipelago in collaboration with ICAx, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, and Norrtälje municipality. The announcement follows selection of the project for funding by the Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova via the “Drones in Service of the Climate for Autumn of 2021” call.
The one-year project unites stakeholders from business, research, innovation, and government, to study the benefits of drones in last-mile transport, and to accelerate the implementation of climate-neutral logistics.
“Drone delivery has the potential to reduce emissions from last-mile logistics. With reduced delivery time, it also helps to improve the service quality and accessibility in rural areas, which could support behavioral changes toward a climate neutral society. We will, through the project, conduct research to generate insights on the solution’s potential to create societal benefits.” said Lei Chen, Senior researcher at RISE who leads the project.
“We have a high level of enthusiasm for participation in this pilot study together with Peter Horwitz, the store owner of ICA Nära Gräddö Skärgårdshandel, and all pilot partners. Of course, drone delivery is a quickly developing field, and we believe that the timing is right to start exploring.” said Emma Lindahl, co-lead at ICAx, the innovation hub of ICA Gruppen. “The study aligns very well with some of our strategic ambitions and our wishes to make everyday a little easier for our customers with sustainable transport solutions.”
Norrtälje municipality has many islands and large rural areas providing an excellent arena to pilot drone delivery.“Norrtälje municipality looks forward to working with this innovative project. We see multiple opportunities for all companies and residents in the archipelago, countryside and in our city centers. We believe this project has great potential for positive impact both environmentally and economically.” said Daniel Klemserud, Business Development Manager, Norrtälje municipality.
The project builds on Aerit’s drone delivery platform that aims to provide on demand access to a network of autonomous sky-couriers in the near-future.
“We are very excited about this project in collaboration with some of Sweden’s leading institutions.” said Alexander Perrien, Chief Executive Officer of Aerit. “We hope to show that Aerit can improve the lives of those in areas covered by our services, offset the climate impact of last-mile delivery overall, and, of course, make things more convenient for everyone involved.”
Since founding the company in January of 2021, Aerit’s milestones include regulatory approval for operations under the EASA SORA framework, and successful completion of Sweden’s first commercial drone delivery of food in October of 2021. Aerit plans to launch continuous delivery services in select areas around Sweden in 2022.
About Aerit
Aerit is a sustainable drone delivery service based in Stockholm, Sweden. Aerit’s Nimbi delivery drones are battery powered with a max payload capacity of 4kg. Nimbi features an autonomous winching system that allows for both package pick-up and drop-off without the need for additional infrastructure. Aerit’s mission is the democratization of access to goods and services regardless of location, weather, time of day, or personal ability. https://aerit.io/
About RISE
RISE is Sweden’s research institute and innovation partner. Through our international collaboration programmes with industry, academia and the public sector, we ensure the competitiveness of the Swedish business community on an international level and contribute to a sustainable society. Our 2,800 employees engage in and support all types of innovation processes. RISE is an independent, State-owned research institute, which offers unique expertise and over 100 testbeds and demonstration environments for future-proof technologies, products and services. www.ri.se
About ICAx
ICAx was started in 2017 and has the mission to identify and analyze new business opportunities and innovation that can help to meet the customer needs. ICAx conducts research and analysis on global technology development and strengthen ICAs understanding of the customer needs for new innovative services. https://www.icagruppen.se/en/
About Norrtälje Municipality
Norrtälje municipality is located in Stockholm County with just over 64,000 people living here. The land area is 2,011 square kilometers, which extends over a third of Stockholm County. With the large coverage of rural areas and archipelago, Norrtälje municipality has its challenge to provide equal services to citizens and is investigating new sustainable solutions such as drone-based delivery. https://www.norrtalje.se/
