These adorable electric autonomous delivery drones use 97% less energy for faster transit
Say goodbye to delivery delays due to traffic and weather. California-based startup Zipline is revolutionizing how we receive goods with its ultra-precise electric autonomous delivery drones called Zips.
The company’s latest P2 electric drones are designed for fast, practically silent, precise autonomous home delivery that looks like they are straight out of a Disney movie.
Zipline showcased its newest Platform 2 (P2) Wednesday, claiming it’s expected to complete deliveries seven times faster than traditional delivery via car.
The Zips can complete a 10-mile delivery in around 10 minutes carrying six to eight pounds, which would easily beat the usual over-hour delivery time from most leading delivery services (at least in my area).
CEO and co-founder of Zipline, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, couldn’t have said it better, stating:
Over the last decade, global demand for instant delivery has skyrocketed, but the technology we’re using to deliver is 100 years old. We’re still using the same 3,000-pound, gas combustion vehicles, driven by humans, to make billions of deliveries that usually weigh less than 5 pounds. It’s slow, it’s expensive, and it’s terrible for the planet.
He added Zipline’s new service is changing the game and is the “closest thing to teleportation ever created” with a smooth, ultrafast, and “truly magical” autonomous delivery system.
How Zipleline’s autonomous electric delivery drones work
The company says, unlike other drones, Zips fly over 300 feet. When arriving at its arrival point, it hovers at the altitude while its autonomous delivery droid lets down a tether, steering it to a precise planned location.
To make it possible, Zipeline uses several innovative technologies, such as:
- Aerospace Sensing: Multiple sensing technologies that can monitor 360 degrees of airspace at day or night and in all weather conditions.
- Fleet Deconfliction: An autonomous fleet management system to limit congestion and optimize travel.
- Localization: An onboard navigation system to determine location down to a single centimeter.
- Predictive Weather: A high-fidelity, low altitude first-of-its-kind weather forecasting tech so Zips can avoid severe weather.
- Onboard Maps: Integrated maps help the Zips navigate complex airspace and terrain while optimizing energy efficiency.
Zipelines electric autonomous delivery drones have already attracted several businesses across the healthcare and restaurant industries, two markets that could immensely benefit from faster, efficient delivery.
For example, Sweetgreen, an American restaurant known for its healthy salads, is partnering with Zipline to connect its customers with real food in the US.
More importantly, Sweetgreen customers can get their orders by “Zip delivery” using 97% less energy than standard vehicle delivery.
Several healthcare companies will use the service to speed up prescription deliveries, in some cases even doubling it.
Zipline’s autonomous drone delivery impacts
Zipline conducts deliveries across five countries – Rwanda, Ghana, the US, Nigeria, and Japan, with Kenya and Côte D’Ivoire coming soon.
The company has delivered over five million items globally, completing a delivery every 90 seconds.
Each flight produces around 30 times fewer CO2 emissions than the average electric vehicle and up to 98% fewer emissions than a gas-powered one.
Ziplines services are used for delivering blood, vaccines, COVID supplies, prescriptions, e-commerce goods, human and animal health products, and food.
Several studies have already highlighted the benefits of Zipline services.
- The first study published in The Lancet shows the company’s drone delivery resulted in a 67% reduction in blood waste across Rwanda.
- The second, published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, found Zipline was increasing access to healthcare and equity in the healthcare system.
- A third study from researchers at Wharton found a reduction of Rwanda in-hospital maternal deaths due to postpartum hemorrhage by 88% due to the company’s delivery system.
What’s next
Zipeline makes it easy for businesses to integrate the service with an end-to-end solution, including dual docking, charging hardware, software that easily integrates with inventory and ordering systems (to speed up the delivery process further), and an app that can track its drones down to the second.
The delivery service makes a perfect option for restaurants, pharmacies, and doctor’s offices, with easy docking and charging hardware.
The company has already flown 40 million commercial miles through 500,000 commercial flights and plans to conduct another 10,000 test flights this year, with customer deliveries beginning shortly after.
Zipline says it has received Part 135 certification and is authorized to complete the longest-range, on-demand commercial drone flights in the US. It has also recently received FAA approval to use its autonomous detect and avoid system.
By the end of 2023, Zipline expects to complete over one million deliveries, and by 2025, the company forecasts to operate more flights each year than most airlines.
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On today’s informative episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got Honda engineers Jason Hwang and Emilio Sanchez to talk us through some of the things that make the GM Ultium-based Honda Prologue EV feel like a real Honda, and why that matters.
Jason and Emilio talk about some of the choices they made to make the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX feel different from its GM-branded cousins, and explain why this was much more than a case of badge-engineering. Give it a listen, then let us know what you think of the Prologue and ZDX in the comments.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations site wide. Learn more by clicking here.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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The first EV charging hub funded by the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program in the Eastern US is now online in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The town installed the region’s first DC fast chargers (four ports), along with four Level 2 chargers, at 59 North Main Street in South Deerfield.
These new charging stations, funded with $2.46 million from the CFI program, are conveniently located near Interstate 91 in Franklin County, the most rural county in Massachusetts, which serves drivers from Connecticut up to the Canadian border.
The hub also features local and regional bus stops and designated bike lanes with secure onsite bike racks. The chargers are meant to cater to everyone: from local residents and visitors to municipal EVs and commercial vehicles that service the region’s businesses, like those in food and beverage manufacturing.
Gabe Klein, executive director of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, sees this as a model for future projects:
Multi-modal charging hubs in communities are key to giving more people the choice to ride and drive electric. The Town of Deerfield is showing leadership in building out convenient charging infrastructure that brings new transportation choices to rural and disadvantaged communities while supporting local commerce.
In recent years, Deerfield has experienced increased climate change-driven flooding from nearby rivers, including the Deerfield River, the Connecticut River, and the Bloody Brook. The project incorporates environmental engineering designed to mitigate and adapt to the effects of flooding and climate, including the installation of permeable asphalt and rain gardens, planting of native trees, grasses, and shrubs, and the creation of new greenspace in the center of Deerfield.
The Biden-Harris administration’s CFI Grant Program is expanding EV infrastructure nationwide. It offers grants for projects that complement and expand upon the initiatives of the NEVI program in urban, rural, and disadvantaged and low-income communities. So far, the CFI Grant Program has allocated over $1 billion to nearly 100 projects across the US, encouraging private investments and expanding the EV charging network to make EV ownership more practical and convenient.
Read more: The US reaches milestone of 200,000+ public EV charging ports
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Kia’s upcoming EV4 electric sedan was just spotted testing in the US for the first time. The low-cost EV is expected to make its big debut by the end of the year. Here’s a look at the new model.
The EV4 will round out Kia’s new “EVs for all” master plan launched last year. Kia showcased three new models, the EV3, EV4, and EV5, during its first annual EV Day in October 2023.
During the event, Kia outlined its new global strategy to “lead and accelerate the EV revolution” with a wide range of models priced from $30,000 to $80,000.
Kia plans to rapidly expand its lineup with a series of smaller, lower-priced models. It launched the EV9, its first three-row electric SUV, which is already proving to be a hot seller in the US. Starting at under $55,000, the EV9 is still a great deal compared to others in its class, but Kia plans to go even lower.
The EV3 and EV4 are expected to be among the most affordable electric vehicles when they arrive in the US.
Kia’s new EV4 is now testing in the US
Ahead of its official debut, Kia’s new EV4 sedan was recently caught driving on US streets for the first time.
The latest image from KindelAuto doesn’t reveal much more than what’s been shown in the past, but the fact that it’s now testing in the US is significant.
Kia’s EV3 is already on sale in Korea, starting at around $30,000 (42.08 million won). Earlier this week, the company said its new compact SUV is now available across Europe, starting at around $38,000 (36,000 euros) with a “segment-leading range” of up to 375 miles (WLTP).
Next up will be the EV4. Kia is expected to officially reveal the new EV by the end of the year, with deliveries starting in 2025. It could be as soon as next week at the 2024 LA Auto Show.
The interior will feature Kia’s advanced new ccNC infotainment system with dual 12.3″ navigation and driver display screens. An otherwise minalimalistic design is expected inside.
Kia’s EV4 will also be available in a hatchback variant. Although the hatch is likely aimed at European buyers, it was also recently spotted testing in the US for the first time.
We will learn official prices closer to launch, but the EV4 is expected to start at around $35,000 to $40,000.
Kia is teasing five new vehicles for the US, at least one being a new EV, that will debut at the LA Auto Show next week. Will it be the EV3? EV4?
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