Latest news with #AmazonPrimeAir
CNBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
46. Zipline
Founders: Keller Rinaudo Cliffton (CEO), Keenan Wyrobek, Ryan OksenhornLaunched: 2014Headquarters: South San FranciscoFunding: $500 millionValuation: $5.1 billion (PitchBook)Key Technologies: Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, machine learning, roboticsIndustry: LogisticsPrevious appearances on Disruptor 50 list: 6 (No. 21 in 2024) For many sci-fi fans, the word "teleportation" evokes Star Trek visions, but drone delivery company Zipline says that millions of Americans are going to be getting used to a version of it that may be as close to the concept as they ever see: pushing a button and having a drone deliver what they want through the skies and down to their home in minutes. Zipline, which began over a decade ago and first made critical medical deliveries like blood bags over rugged terrain and with the mission of supplying hard to reach places, has now made more deliveries than all of its competitors, a group that includes two of the largest tech companies in the world that have been dabbling in drones for a long time, Amazon (Amazon Prime Air) and Alphabet (Google's Wing). While there were doubts in the early days about whether the models would evolve beyond niche use cases, recent years have seen an increasing number of drone deliveries and approvals from regulators. It is not now unreasonable to envision the drone company and its peers as competitors to a wide range of companies, from Uber Eats and DoorDash to UPS, FedEx and Amazon itself. Zipline is the first company to have made one million commercial drone deliveries, 70% of which it says occurred in 2023 and 2024. Zipline estimates it is now making one delivery every 60 seconds and has logged over 100 million commercial autonomous miles in the skies. That last flight metric made it, according to the company, the "largest autonomous logistics network on Earth." To help put all the drone trips into perspective, Zipline offered a few comparison travel points: 200 lunar round trips, 4,000 journeys around the Earth, or racking up every road in the U.S. 24 times. Last July, Zipline received the FAA's first-ever approval of an uncrewed aircraft systems traffic management system (UTM), like an air traffic control system for drones flying beyond the visual line of sight, and a critical step for drone delivery expansion. Overseas, where Zipline had some of its earliest successes, it continues to expand as well, including key, critical medical partnerships in countries such as Nigeria, where it has been delivering HIV medicines. The company says throughout its history its drones have delivered roughly 20 million vaccines. In the U.S., Zipline has tripled its customers, and increased the number of states and areas it serves. Health-care systems, retailers, restaurants, businesses and governments are all using Zipline drones, from Panera Bread to the Mayo Clinic. While health care has historically been the biggest use case, food is going to be responsible for a lot more growth in the future, according to the company, including partners such as Sweetgreen and Chipotle. In January, Zipline launched its P2 drones — which can fly as far as 24 miles, up to 70 mph, and carry up to eight pounds — in a state associated with a well-know retailer: Arkansas. It was able to deliver more than 28,000 items from the local Walmart to customers and recently expanded operations to Dallas. Walmart told CNBC in an email in April that it had completed over 150,000 drone deliveries to homes since 2021, and with 4,600 stores located within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population, it is "uniquely positioned to execute drone deliveries at scale." Just last week, Walmart said it was expanding its drone deliveries to three more states in a deal with Zipline rival Wing. The drone delivery business is still relatively small within the transportation sector, and its growth has been uneven over the past decade. But with billions of deliveries in the U.S. alone reliant on century-old climate-intense logistics infrastructure, the tailwinds are there if the technology continues to improve and the economic model continues to scale: faster, potentially lower cost, and zero emissions. Kieran Shanahan, chief operating officer of Walmart U.S., told CNBC last week, "We see it as part of a broader ecosystem of things. And who knows what five years, 10 years time will bring as new technologies and capabilities unlock?" Zipline CEO and co-founder Keller Rinaudo Cliffton recently told the Wall Street Journal "Bold Names" podcast he is focused on the next few years: "It took us eight years to do a million deliveries ... Two and a half years from now we need to be doing a million deliveries a day."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will drones be delivering my Amazon packages in Kansas City soon?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — , — What's next for Kansas City? Drones delivering our packages? Well… Maybe. On Wednesday morning, an Amazon spokesperson told FOX4 that the global company might be bringing drone delivery services — also known as Amazon Prime Air — to the streets of the Kansas City metro. May 7 deadline looms for REAL ID in Kansas and Missouri 'We're reviewing options and working with local officials to possibly bring Prime Air to Kansas City — which would support our efforts to provide fast delivery and great service to local customers,' Amazon Public Relations Lead Andy DiOrio said. 'This process is in the early planning stages and additional steps remain. We'll share more when we can.' , according to the company, has seen significant success since it was launched in College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California, in 2022. Now, almost three years later, the services have only become more advanced, with a brand-new released in . The company said the new drone can travel twice as far as Amazon's previous drones, is significantly quieter and can drop off a purchase in designated areas near select addresses in 60 minutes or less. Although talks of the new, high-tech delivery service in the Kansas City metro are still up in the air (no pun intended), DiOrio said the multi-billion-dollar company has been in talks with the city. Missouri Supreme Court upholds voter-approved minimum wage, paid sick leave initiative 'We've received final land use approval through the KCMO Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the Special Use Permit to construct a Prime Air Drone Delivery Center at our Same Day Delivery facility located in Kansas City, MO.' When and where Amazon Prime Air will be implemented is still unknown. However, if the drone service is approved, Kansas City will be one of three cities helping revolutionize home delivery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
WIRED
03-03-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Amazon's Delivery Drones Are Grounded. The Birds and Dogs of This Texas Town Are Grateful
Mar 3, 2025 7:00 AM Amazon's drones met more resistance in College Station, Texas, than in any other city in the US. Now they're gone—and a sense of peace and privacy has been restored. An Amazon MK30 Prime Air drone Photograph:As the spring planting season arrives in College Station, Texas, certified master gardener Mark Smith is thrilled that peace is in the air. This time last year, a loud buzzing noise began disrupting Smith's morning routine of checking on the peppers, tomatoes, herbs, and shrubs growing in his backyard. Several times an hour, an Amazon Prime Air delivery drone would noisily emerge about 800 feet away, just past a line of trees behind Smith's home. His neighbors began calling the fleet flying chainsaws. Smith, a retired civil engineer, preferred a different comparison: 'It was like your neighbor runs their leaf blower all day long,' he says. 'It was just incessant.' Amid technical and regulatory challenges, Amazon's decade-plus quest to fly small items such as toothpaste and batteries to people's yards in under an hour has yielded just thousands of deliveries. The experience in College Station has highlighted another challenge: NIMBYs—or people who push for developments to be 'not in my backyard'—potentially curtailing where Amazon operates. Over the past few years, drone delivery companies have started operating in several towns and cities across the US without much fuss. The Federal Aviation Administration conducted environmental reviews of 21 planned drone rollouts over the past four years, none of which received more than three critical public comments or any organized opposition—except for one location. In College Station, a university town of about 125,000 people, hundreds of ordinary residents along with the mayor and other officials banded together last year to oppose Amazon's proposal to more than double the number of daily local drone flights. The FAA received about 150 comments opposing the plans, including from homeowners' associations and other groups. A parent said their teenage daughter feared using the swimming pool because of the drone's camera. (Amazon says it faces forward, not down). A 92-year-old worried about doves that were no longer visible from a kitchen window. Many claimed their homes were losing value. One resident said their peace and quiet was being 'invaded by some billionaire's insatiable desire to make even more money.' In early July last year, councilmember Bob Yancy emailed the mayor and two city officials, explaining that complaints would intensify if Amazon didn't move the drones. 'Amazon's MO thus far is to conduct aggressive PR efforts writ large while ignoring the immediately affected neighborhood,' Yancy wrote, according to public records obtained by WIRED. 'Without causing a public stink around their project, for their sake and ours, I think we need to quietly secure some assurances that they will act immediately to directly address neighborhood concerns.' The FAA ultimately determined that some of the public concerns were meritless or outside its purview and that Amazon's proposed expansion wouldn't cause significant environmental impacts. But the local pushback still got through to the tech giant. Company representatives sought city officials' help in getting contact information for homeowners' associations near the drone depot, according to the email records. Meetings ensued between Amazon and homeowners, and by the end of July, Amazon communicated its intent to relocate within the city. (Yancy tells WIRED that Prime Air is a valued member of the community and, as long as it is mindful of the noise, he hopes it stays.) Over the summer, Amazon reduced the number of drone flights. In November, it fully adopted newer, quieter drones in College Station that deliver within a range of about 7.5 miles. Inside his house, with the double-paned windows shut and TV on, Smith could no longer hear the drones. More recently, wet winter weather has further restricted the frequency of flights. (Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson says the drones can withstand only light rain and limited temperatures.) But things finally went back to fully normal for Smith and other residents of the woodsy communities near Amazon's drone base in January, when the company temporarily grounded its drones nationwide for a software update process that is ongoing. Amazon plans to end its College Station lease on September 30, potentially giving the frustrated communities permanent quiet. If Amazon had conducted the maximum number of flights outlined in its plans reviewed by the FAA, a drone might have buzzed by Smith's house about every 58 seconds for 15 hours a day. Now, he hasn't seen one in weeks. Residents say they have noticed wildlife return to the area. Paul Greer, who lives near the drone depot, says he heard an owl for the first time in months. Deer also are more abundant with the drones gone, he says. Even Greer's dog, George, is at peace. Seeing and hearing the drones during walks agitated his 50-pound bull terrier. 'I don't think anybody expected the noise to be as invasive as it has been,' Greer says. Amazon's Stephenson reiterates that the FAA review determined that the operations would not have a significant impact on wildlife and says that College Station officials conducted a test that found the drones operated below the city's noise limits. 'We work hard to listen to the community and to mitigate any potential impact from our operations,' Stephenson says. Since the company launched its new MK30 drone, he says, it hasn't 'received any community complaints, and the feedback from local officials has been positive.' Some of the College Station residents who have complained about the noise say they still largely support the testing of drones. But many believe Amazon miscalculated by locating its depot close to so many residences. The company's first depot—now shut down—was located near businesses and vineyards in rural California. Its third and newest location is at one of its warehouses in a quiet Arizona town. A planned site in the UK is also based at a fulfillment center and largely bounded by fields and industrial parks. 'I don't think we should ban this,' Smith says of drone delivery. 'If there's a place for it, and the market needs it, then fine, but it shouldn't mess up the peace in the neighborhood.' Amazon's drone sector rivals, such as DroneUp and Alphabet's Wing, have made many more deliveries, mostly by operating out of commercial areas and forming partnerships with physical retailers. That's not so easy for Amazon, the nation's dominant online shopping platform. It has plenty of logistics warehouses, but they're not necessarily located close enough to customers for delivery drones to reach them. Location, Location, Location Amazon has said little about how it chose the location of its College Station drone hub, which it began leasing in 2022. Residents such as Smith believe privacy may have played a role. The building Amazon leased is tucked away behind trees, limiting what might be visible to prying eyes. Stephenson, the Amazon spokesperson, says its choice of location involved 'thorough analysis of the area' and 'close collaboration with local leaders.' Smith says that during a series of community events Amazon hosted in 2022, some College Station residents were miffed by how the company highlighted cookies rather than urgent necessities as items Prime Air could deliver. He and others also asked to see the drones in action to gauge how loud they might be, but the company refused. 'We ended up getting it without actually hearing it,' he says. Amazon's Stephenson says that the demonstrations weren't possible, because the FAA didn't approve the drones to take flight until the end of the year when commercial operations began. As flights began picking up early last year, the people who live closest to the drone depot started fuming over the noise. Residents appealed to the city to do something, but Texas lawmakers have essentially banned cities from regulating drones, leaving local officials powerless. Smith, who previously worked as a city public works director in charge of big projects, says the only developments that he had seen attract this amount of opposition were landfills. The drone pushback also attracted international media attention, sparking concerns at city hall. Public records show city officials have suggested numerous options for Amazon's potential relocation, including a mall about 4 miles up the highway from the current building. As of December, though, College Station mayor John Nichols wrote in one email, Amazon had not shared any recent updates about the status of its search. Nichols tells WIRED that as of last week, he still hadn't heard anything. Lessons Learned Some College Station residents who live near Amazon's drone depot site say the noise and property value concerns raised by their neighbors are overblown. 'What were people like when lawnmowers first came out?' says Kim Miller, who could hear the drones above her front yard and once received a dog toy by air as a gift from someone. 'Progress has some drawbacks,' she says. Raylene Lewis, a real estate agent at NextHome Realty Solutions, which has listings near the drone base, says home buyers don't seem to mind the prospect of drones overhead. In fact, more people are curious about whether a prospective home is within Prime Air's delivery range, she says. Lewis' own house happens to be just outside the perimeter, but she says she would love to use the service 'whether I want cookies or my medicine or pen and paper for a kid's project.' Lewis believes Amazon should have been more forthright about its operations and should have offered a local customer service center for people with questions and concerns. With updates still difficult to come by, some residents remain frustrated. Several of them learned about Amazon's fleet grounding only after inquiries from WIRED. The grounding followed two crashes—one related to rainy weather and the other operator miscommunications—of the roughly 80-pound drones, according to Bloomberg. Amazon's Stephenson disputes the cause of the pause, saying it was initiated to 'safely and properly conduct a software update' and that services will resume following FAA approval. The accidents have introduced a new worry in College Station. 'These events really bring out that Amazon is using my neighborhood as a test zone,' says Monica Williams, a teenager who opposed the company's expansion plan. For now, more drones are poised to hit the skies. In Dallas-Fort Worth, Amazon rival Wing is awaiting FAA review to triple its maximum deliveries per day to 30,000. In Florida, the company is seeking review to provide up to 60,000 deliveries each day, starting from Walmart supercenters in the Orlando and Tampa metro areas. Smith and others in College Station expect that as long as drones aren't constantly buzzing near homes—and new versions get increasingly quieter—complaints will be minimal. He believes Amazon learned a valuable lesson in his city, and he's glad the company is adjusting its course. His garden is certainly happy to have him back. Additional reporting by Aarian Marshall.
