Wing, the drone company owned by Alphabet, and Walmart are expanding their delivery partnership to five new cities in the US, the companies announced today. Customers who shop at Walmart stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa will soon have the ability to request a drone deliver their online shopping orders.
Walmart and Wing currently offer drone delivery at approximately 15 stores in northwest Arkansas and Dallas-Fort Worth. Today’s announcement will bring an additional 100 stores into the fold.
“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to redefining retail,” said Greg Cathey, SVP, Walmart U.S. Transformation and Innovation, in a statement. “We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before.”
Walmart has been working with a number of drone operators, but it seems to be most happy with its partnership with Wing. Since launching drone delivery in 2021, Walmart says it has completed more than 150,000 deliveries — sometimes within 30 minutes of the order being placed.
There are a few restrictions: Customers must live within six miles of a store under FAA rules governing drone operations “beyond the visual line of sight.” An order needs to be under a certain weight to qualify for drone delivery, but Walmart says that covers everything from groceries to health and wellness products to household goods.
Since launching drone delivery in 2021, Walmart says it has completed more than 150,000 deliveries
Wing’s flagship drone is designed to handle payloads of up to 2.5 pounds, while its newer models can handle up to five pounds. The company says that it has enough battery power to complete 12 miles round trip while cruising at a top speed of 65 mph. The drones use tethers and grappling hooks to pick up and drop off small bags and cardboard boxes on customers’ front lawns. Wing says it has completed over 450,000 residential deliveries since its inception in 2012. Wing also conducts drone deliveries for DoorDash in Dallas and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Wing is also thinking about other ways to improve the efficiency of its delivery network. It created a system that enables its drones to dynamically take pickup and delivery jobs back to back without needing to report back to an originating base. This system includes the use of Autoloader stations, which are installed at retailers’ parking lots for employees to load a prepared order when ready. When a drone is available, it can lower a rope to grab it without anyone waiting around.
Drone delivery companies claim that by shifting more deliveries to small electric multi-rotor aircraft, fewer polluting trucks will be needed for last-mile deliveries. It’s a similar pitch being made by sidewalk robot companies delivering takeout orders to residents of Los Angeles and other cities.
