Starship flags environmental impact of delivery robots in Milton Keynes

Starship Technologies, in conjunction with Milton Keynes Council, has announced the initial findings of a review of the early impact of zero-emission robots in the city over the last three and a half years.

Since launching an autonomous delivery service in Milton Keynes in April 2018, Starship calculates that 280,000 car journeys have been avoided, equating to over 500,000 miles.

This in turn has seen 137 tons of CO2 and 22kg of NOx saved, with a reduction of 23kg of PM10 and 12kg of PM2.5 in the volume of micro-particles in the air.

Fun fact: the average Starship delivery uses the same amount of energy that a kettle needs to boil water for just one cup of tea!

We’ve partnered with @mkcouncil to review the early impact of our zero-emission robots in the city, and here’s what we found.https://t.co/fdM9DUhkid pic.twitter.com/uEO27RY9Ne
— Starship Technologies (@StarshipRobots) November 8, 2021

Starship’s delivery robots, which are powered by zero carbon electricity, are part of an ecosystem in Milton Keynes geared towards the Council’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon negative by 2050.

Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Sustainability, Jennifer Willson-Marklew, says: “We are delighted that Starship’s service is helping residents and businesses receive deliveries in an efficient and sustainable way.”

“The operations are a great success and the results are testament to how thinking differently about our carbon challenges can deliver better outcomes all round.”

“Whether it's Starship, more electric vehicle charging or electric buses, Milton Keynes will continue establishing itself as a modern, forward-thinking city that’s ready to take on the climate challenge head on.

Volker Beckers, Special Advisor to the Starship Technologies board and former Group CEO at RWE Npower, comments: “An average delivery for a Starship robot consumes as little energy as boiling the kettle to make just one cup of tea.”

“These initial findings therefore demonstrate the significantly positive impact that electrically powered robots can have in helping to reduce harmful emissions and how energy could be used more effectively.”

“Starship remains as committed as ever to working closely with Milton Keynes Council and helping to tackle some of the huge challenges in discussion surrounding COP26.”

“We are further encouraged that additional research has revealed that close to 70% of Starship’s customers forgo driving to a store or receiving a delivery from a fuel powered vehicle in favour of robot delivery.”

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