The world’s first cargo drone logistics facility will be designed and built in Toyko by logistics real-estate platform ESR and Derby-based aerospace company VRCO.
Located at Higashi Ogishima Distribution Centre in Tokyo, the facility will validate how electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) airframes could potentially transform the movement of commercial cargo from distribution centres.
ESR and VRCO will work with local regulatory authorities, government agencies and the technology supply chain to develop an automated fleet of smart air-cargo vehicles.
According to ESR, the self-aware eVTOLs will be controlled from a command centre using a scalable approach to volume delivery by air, factoring in weather and changing demand.
By collaborating with VRCO and its future of flight simulator division, ESR will evaluate how the technology as well as economic and societal changes will impact the design and operation of the facility.
Dr Michael de Jong-Douglas, senior managing director of ESR, said: “We continuously monitor developments that could be of interest to our customers and the movement of cargo in a sustainable, direct aerial mode presents significant opportunities.
“It is clear that eVTOL aircraft will have a dramatic effect on cargo and people mobility over the coming years.”
A concept image of the facility has been released showing the nine-storey, double-ramped distribution centre. It features a range of energy-saving elements and will partially generate its own sustainable energy reducing pressure on the grid.
The facility, which will be strategically located in the Greater Tokyo region, is scheduled for completion in March 2023.
