Until now, urban logistics have been a very down-to-earth matter. As the last link in the supply chain, vans roll through the streets to deliver goods. However, because of the rapidly expanding online trade, they are increasingly reaching the limits of their capacity. Today logistics companies have to deliver 3.35 billion parcels annually in Germany alone, and that number is increasing. “Nowadays people who order things online want to receive their orders as soon as possible,” explains Corinna Elosge, who heads the Vans & Drones project at Mercedes-Benz Vans.

In order to meet this demand, Mercedes-Benz Vans is now using both ground-based and airborne means of transportation. In line with the Vans & Drones concept, express freight is delivered by air to a Sprinter, which then becomes a mothership for subsequent “air freight.”