Ford starts delivery to vehicle pilot in the U.K.

Ford has collaborated with Hermes U.K. to launch a Secure Delivery to Vehicle pilot that enables parcels to be delivered directly to vehicles located at the owner's home address.

Launched in selected areas of the U.K., the project speeds up deliveries by saving drivers the hassle of having to knock on doors, climb stairs or find a neighbour to take the parcel when its recipients are not home.

The delivery-to-vehicle option is offered to customers with FordPass, and comes as a no extra cost. When shopping with selected retailers, those taking part in the pilot will have an added option of 'delivery-to-vehicle' although they will still be able to opt for a home delivery, if preferred.

If a delivery to vehicle is chosen, the exact location of the customer's vehicle is displayed on the Hermes app once the delivery driver is within 300m of their destination. And once the delivery driver is within 50m of the vehicle, he/she simply needs to scan the barcode on the customer's parcel to create a one-time unlock token for the vehicle. This enables the driver to unlock the boot and deposit the package.

For added security, if the delivery driver fails to lock the vehicle after making the delivery, the vehicle locks automatically within a set time period.