It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s your . . . Walmart delivery?
Alphabet’s drone-delivery service, Wing, debuted new aircraft Wednesday that will allow the company to both simplify and streamline larger delivery orders.
The new aircraft are capable of carrying 2.5 pounds more than the existing drones in Wing’s fleet, making their payload up to 5 pounds in total. They can travel up to 12 miles round trip at an astounding rate of 65 miles per hour.
Wing has currently completed over 350,000 drone deliveries on the three continents where it operates. The company also teamed up with Walmart in August of last year to offer drone deliveries from two of the retailer’s stores in the Dallas area, enabling the stores to reach 60,000 customers. Walmart recently announced plans to expand its drone deliveries in the area. It has also partnered with drone company Zipline for deliveries.
Through its experience thus far, Wing has determined that 70% of U.S. drone orders have been small enough to be delivered in one aircraft. However, the remaining 30% have been large enough that they’ve needed two aircraft to reach their destination.
Wing’s new vehicles are designed specifically to cater to that 30%. Sending one aircraft, after all, is a lot more efficient than sending two to the same destination. The company says it’s comparable to how airlines choose their aircraft based on the route they’re traveling. You might get a commuter jet for a short flight carrying a dozen people, but a much larger plane for an international journey carrying hundreds.
The new drones are the result of Wing’s “Aircraft Library,” where a team works on creating new configurations and building on the core components already in use. The drones were created specifically based on the company’s known need for aircraft that could handle larger orders.
Wing’s new drones are currently awaiting approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company hopes to bring the larger aircraft to the market later this year. It currently has more than 1,000 aircraft registered in the United States.
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