This ain't your mail carrier's stodgy mail truck. Volkswagen has teamed up with the German Mail Service to design this sleek electric mail van called the eT!
The van's good look isn't all that the eT! has going for it: it's also an autonomous van that can follow behind the mail carrier as he or she walks down the sidewalk delivering mail.
Fast Company has the details: Link... as far as we know, this is the first delivery vehicle that can follow the delivery person as he walks from house to house and drive over on demand (these modes are called "come to me" and "follow me"). This seems like it would be incredibly dangerous, however, until the technology is perfected. Just one wrong move, and the delivery truck could injure the mail carrier, or that pesky dog on the route.
If the driver is wary of having a truck follow them around, the vehicle can also be controlled via a joystick in the passenger’s seat. According to Volkswagen, "This makes unnecessary walking movements around the vehicle a thing of the past." Unnecessary walking movements are not what’s hurting global postal services, but the eT! could help boost productivity.