Ford will allow packages to be delivered to your car | GRR
Sick of your packages getting chucked over the fence or left on your doorstep for all to see and potentially steal? Well, Ford reckons it has a clever new option. Teaming up with Hermes UK, it’s hoping to be able to help you offer your Ford as a place to safely drop a package.
It’s called Secure Delivery to Vehicle and the pilot for it is beginning in select areas of the UK this month. Customers will need to have the FordPass app. Ford only expects the project to grow, with other uses coming down the line such as a place for returns to be picked up by couriers.
So how does it work? Select retailers will offer those taking part in the project a ‘delivery-to-vehicle’ as a standard option. Details are then provided of its location to the delivery driver. Once within 300 metres of the vehicle, its exact location is then shown in the Hermes app. Within 50 metres, the driver can scan a barcode on the parcel which will grant a one-time unlock token for the vehicle. If the car is too far away from the home address, it goes to the house. Likewise, if the package is too big.
The goal is for quicker, more efficient, safer and cleaner deliveries – a worthwhile pursuit, given that e-commerce now accounts for around 30 per cent of retail sales. Although it’s reasonable to expect that some might not be interested in allowing unknown people to unlock their cars, even if it’s a one-off.