Drone delivery services that had been operating on a limited basis in some areas are expanding across the United States. The U.S. had been slower than China to commercialize drone delivery, but the pace of expansion has picked up recently thanks to regulatory easing.
On the 11th, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Walmart, the world's largest retailer, plans to partner with Wing, Alphabet's (Google's parent company) drone delivery service, to add drone delivery at 150 stores over the next year. Until now, Walmart's drone delivery service was limited to certain areas such as Dallas–Fort Worth and Atlanta.
Walmart aims to offer the service at more than 270 stores nationwide by 2027. Greg Cash, Walmart's senior vice president for digital logistics innovation, said, "We want to help customers get what they want, when and where they want it," adding, "Drone delivery is especially useful when you need small items quickly."
If the expansion of drone delivery goes as planned, the number of customers able to use the service, currently about 2 million, is expected to grow to about 40 million. Service areas are also set to expand to Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Miami.
Wing's drones, Walmart's partner, can carry items up to 5 pounds (about 2.3 kg) and fly up to 6 miles (about 9.6 km) one way. Items ordered online are delivered in a small takeout-style box suspended on a line, and once the drone arrives at the destination, it lowers the line and sets the box down in the customer's yard. Most deliveries are completed within 30 minutes.
Walmart is also partnering with another drone delivery company, Zipline, to offer drone deliveries in Texas and Arkansas.
Walmart, Amazon and several U.S. corporations such as the delivery app DoorDash have introduced drone delivery services in recent years. But due to drone regulations, community concerns over noise, safety and privacy, and weather issues, services have been confined to specific areas. Amazon has also operated services only in College Station, Texas, and near Phoenix, Arizona.
That situation changed after federal authorities eased regulations last Aug. to allow beyond-visual-line-of-sight flights for drones. Previously, drones always had to remain within a person's line of sight, and operators had to obtain individual approval from authorities to run drones. The rule requiring drones to stay in view also meant staffing one employee per drone, leaving drone delivery with no clear advantage over regular vehicle delivery.
The U.S. drone delivery market is expected to gain further momentum. The U.S. market had grown more slowly than China's. Earlier, U.S. Transportation Minister Shaun Duffy said at a press conference on the regulatory easing in Aug., "China currently controls 90% of this market," adding, "This measure will help the U.S. exert greater influence in the consumer drone market."
WSJ reported, "Wing's customers usually order urgently needed items like meal ingredients or over-the-counter medicine by drone delivery," adding, "About a quarter of customers are using the drone delivery service three times a week."