(WSVN) - United Parcel Service took the first step in testing drone delivery Monday with a drone drop-off in the Tampa Bay area.
UPS said they conducted their first test in Lithia, Florida, using a drone mounted to the top of one of their delivery vehicles. The drone launched from the car’s roof, flying autonomously toward the delivery address. UPS said the drone dropped the package and returned to the vehicle as it continued on its delivery route.
The delivery company said they conducted the test with Workhorse Group, which developes electric vehicles and drones. Workhorse built both the drone and the electric car UPS used in its test run.
“This test is different than anything we’ve done with drones so far. It has implications for future deliveries, especially in rural locations where our package cars often have to travel miles to make a single delivery,” said Mark Wallace, UPS senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability. “Imagine a triangular delivery route where the stops are miles apart by road. Sending a drone from a package car to make just one of those deliveries can reduce costly miles driven. This is a big step toward bolstering efficiency in our network and reducing our emissions at the same time.”
UPS said a reduction of just one mile per driver per day could save the company up to $50 million over the course of a year. Rural deliveries are the most expensive, they said, due to the time and vehicle expenses required to reach less-populated areas. The service said they have approximately 66,000 delivery drivers on the road each day.
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“Drivers are the face of our company, and that won’t change,” Wallace said. “What’s exciting is the potential for drones to aid drivers at various points along their routes, helping them save time and deliver on increasing customer service needs that stem from the growth of e-commerce.”
This isn’t the first time UPS has tested drones for deliveries. The company said they staged a mock rush delivery of medicine from Beverly, Mass. to an island three miles off the coast last September. UPS said they’ve used drones for humanitarian relief to deliver blood and vaccines in hard-to-reach areas in Rwanda. But they said Monday’s test marked the first time they used drones for non-urgent residential deliveries.
UPS has not specified when drones might be more commonplace for deliveries, since federal authorities are still working on regulations for drones.
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