Alphabet’s Wing unveiled the first in a new lineup of larger drones with more payload capacity. The new drone can handle up to five pounds without sacrificing range and has enough battery power to complete 12 miles round trip while cruising at up to 65 mph.
Adam Woodworth, CEO, made the announcement on the company’s blog yesterday:
At Wing, we’re always thinking big about how to optimize drone delivery. Today, we’re thinking bigger: We’re introducing an additional aircraft into our fleet that will simplify and streamline larger orders.
With over 350,000 Wing deliveries completed to customers’ homes across three continents, we’re learning so much from our partners and the customers who receive our drone deliveries.
Today we offer the ability for customers to fulfill larger orders, beyond what fits on one aircraft. Order trends tell us that 70% of all US orders are delivered by one Wing aircraft, while 30% are delivered by two. To better serve that 30% and further optimize our business, we will be introducing an additional aircraft to complement our existing fleet.
Think of it like how airlines operate different aircrafts for different routes: This new aircraft will streamline our deliveries of larger orders. For example, you could order last minute ingredients for dinner – pasta, marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, canned olives and garlic.
Just like other forms of transportation, drone delivery is not one-size-fits all. That’s why we’ve taken an approach to aircraft development that we call an Aircraft Library, where our team works on a variety of configurations and builds on core components we already use for our flight-proven aircraft. When we identify a need in the market—like a larger aircraft for larger orders—we can adapt our design to quickly and efficiently meet that need.
Our new aircraft is the latest example of how we’re using the design principles of the Aircraft Library to optimize drone delivery. By complementing Wing’s existing fleet of commercially operational aircraft, which carry about 2.5 pounds of payload, this additional aircraft will make it even easier for customers to get what they need, when they want it.
The new aircraft has the same round-trip range of 12 miles and can cruise approximately 65 miles per hour, all while carrying a standard cardboard delivery box with a payload up to five pounds.
Of course, an aircraft is only as effective as the software and logistics networks that make it meaningful for businesses and customers. We’re designing the aircraft to work with the existing infrastructure and automation systems that support our current fleet.
Source: Wing Blog