19 July 24

The Isle of Wight will play host to a pioneering 6-month drone trial from August that will explore the future of logistics across the Solent.

Carried out by Inteliports, the trial aims to demonstrate the impact drones can have on the Isle of Wight, improving the community’s access to goods and decarbonising island logistics by creating a drone corridor to the mainland. The Isle of Wight council  has assessed suitable sites within its control to help facilitate this opportunity and has made the decision to grant Inteliports a 6-month trial at Mornington Road Long Stay Car Park.

Funded by the Department for Transport and Connected Places Catapult, the partnership between Inteliports and the Isle of Wight Council is driven by a vision to introduce faster and greener supply methods to the island, reducing the community’s reliance on ferries alone.

Over the course of the trial, Inteliports will evaluate the commercial feasibility of multimodal operations with autonomous hubs, creating a collaborative link between Inteliports’ drones and e-bike couriers on the ground. The feasibility project will assess the potential to establish a link between the mainland and the island, allowing businesses from the mainland to service the island and vice versa.

At a stakeholder consultation event earlier this year, questions were raised around ecology, and it has been confirmed that monitoring of protected species will be in place throughout the trial and will feed into the data to assess the overall outcomes of the trial. Ecologists have been engaged prior to starting testing and have found no significant impact to wildlife in granting this trial.

Up to 6 flights a day each way will take place, during the daytime only. Inteliports are also under strict Civil Aviation Authority regulations to ensure compliance and safety of all flights. During this trial, all of Mornington Road car park will be closed, from the 7th of August 2024 to 7th of February 2025.

David Park, Co-founder of Inteliports, said:

 “Selected as one of ten SMEs to receive a portion of £1.3 million from the DfT’s Freight Innovation Fund, Inteliports will be conducting technology trials with industry partners.”

“We are pleased to announce that our trials will be in collaboration with Vodafone and Pairpoint (Vodafone partnership with Sumitomo Corporation), we’re determined to showcase the viability of drone-integrated nodal logistics.”

“This collaboration represents a significant step forward in the pursuit of sustainable and efficient city logistics. Together, Inteliports and Vodafone are committed to driving innovation, improving customer experiences, and shaping the future of urban deliveries.”

For more information about Inteliports' innovative solutions, please visit www.inteliports.com