Alphabet's drone delivery company, Wing, is expanding its service with Walmart after two successful years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. By rolling out to an additional 100 stores, including cities like Atlanta and Tampa, the service aims to provide drone deliveries in 30 minutes or less to millions of homes, establishing the largest drone delivery network in the U.S. However, there are concerns regarding the commercial viability of drone deliveries due to high operational costs, regulatory challenges, and competition from traditional delivery services like UPS.
Customers in the metro region can click 'checkout' on a small order on Walmart's website or app and, within an average delivery window of 19 minutes, see a drone buzz above their lawn or backyard and lower a delivery box on a tether.
The companies say the expansion will give 'millions' of homes access to drone delivery within 30 minutes or less, making the drone delivery network the largest in the country.
Some critics who have studied the drone industry doubt routine deliveries can become truly profitable. 'It's unlikely that it will become commercially viable in the foreseeable future,' says Matthias Winkenbach.
He cites regulatory hoops, the high costs of employing drone pilots, and the challenges of working in unpredictable situations with unpredictable people-namely, customers' homes and customers themselves.
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