Amazon to use drones to deliver 500 million packages annually by 2030

Amazon Prime Air's Mark 30 drone making a package delivery in a backyard. (Amazon)

Amazon has signalled that it plans to exponentially scale up its package delivery operations by air through the use of specialized drones.

And more importantly, the company now says it has developed proven drone technology to make deliveries safely, reliably, and efficiently.

During an Amazon media event in Seattle attended by Daily Hive Urbanized on Wednesday, Amazon Prime Air vice president David Carbon announced the company will grow drone delivery operations to 500 million packages to customers annually by the end of this decade.

This is equivalent to delivering about 6% of the eight billion packages Amazon delivered in 2022 by zero-emission drones for the “last mile” instead of by vehicle, which will help reduce vehicle traffic congestion and emissions.

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Amazon Prime Air will be expanded to one-third of the company’s locations in the United States. Since late 2022, Prime Air drones have safely delivered hundreds of household items in College Station in Texas.

By the end of 2024, Prime Air will also arrive in Italy and the United Kingdom.

But do not expect fleets of Prime Air drones to deliver televisions and other heavy goods, as the autonomous drones will only deliver packages about the size of a shoebox weighing up to five pounds. The end-to-end flights to reach the customer, including to apartments, are expected to be achieved within 60 minutes of making an order online.

“While the size and weight may sound small, it represents the vast percentage of what our customers want,” said Carbon.

This is made possible by Prime Air’s latest advanced model of in-house developed drone, the Mark 30. The aerial vehicle flies at an altitude of between 40 metres and 120 metres (131 ft to 393 ft), which is an airspace with minimal obstacles.

david carbon mark 30 drone amazon prime air

Amazon Prime Air Vice President David Carbon unveiling the new Mark 30 drone in Seattle on October 18, 2023. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Amazon Prime Air’s new Mark 30 drone. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Moreover, the Mark 30 drone is 40% quieter than the Mark 27 model currently in use and is more optimized to fly in a wider range of weather conditions. The Mark 30’s horizontal movements are aerodynamic like an aircraft, with a new custom-designed propeller and structure to improve efficiency, while its vertical movements are akin to a helicopter.

Sensors and cameras enable the drone to avoid power lines, people, pets, and other obstacles. He says the company has now conducted millions of simulations and thousands of hours of material and software testing, collected hundreds of thousands of datasets, and successfully and safely completed thousands of test flights.

During the tests, he says, the drones have detected unexpected obstacles and pets 100% of the time.

After the drone computer determines that the delivery zone is clear, the drone releases the package and rises back up for its return journey to the delivery centre. The Mark 30 can serve customers in densely populated suburban areas with small yards.

There is no interaction with customers during the drop-off process. If the drone detects and calculates it is unable to safely land the package, it will fly back to the delivery centre and make another attempt later.

“It’s simply the most advanced commercial delivery driver,” he said emphatically.

According to Carbon, the use of drone deliveries to customers is “magnitudes higher or magnitudes safer than driving to the store.”

The US expansion of Prime Air is enabled by Amazon being one of only a handful of drone delivery companies that have required an air carrier certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration to operate drones with advanced capabilities.

Amazon Prime Air’s new Mark 30 drone. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

A package being loaded inside the Mark 30 drone by an employee at an Amazon delivery centre. (Amazon)

There have been many “false starts” to the start date of the proliferation of drone-based deliveries, but Amazon believes the technology is now ready.

“This type of innovation doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it takes years of inventing, testing and learning to develop these breakthrough technologies. It is made possible by our people quite simply the best people in the business,” said Carbon during the event, held at the BFL1 Amazon Fulfilment Centre just outside of Seattle.

“The team that designed this drone consists of hundreds of Amazon employees, future system builders with deep expertise from within Amazon, aerospace, consumer electronics, automotive, vision, space manufacturing and more, working together to make this delivery experience reality.”

Through the expansion of Prime Air, Amazon is also planning to substantially grow its prescription delivery business.

As of today, Prime Air’s operations in College Station have been expanded to deliver medications within 60 minutes of an order being made at no additional cost. A pharmacist will oversee the entire process.

Residents in the community of College Station will have access to over 500 medications that treat conditions such as flu, asthma, and pneumonia, said John Love, the vice president of Amazon Pharmacy, during the event.

Amazon’s business in prescriptions began in 2018 when it acquired PillPack. It then launched Amazon Pharmacy in 2023 and the RxPass in 2023.

Love says residents in College Station told Amazon in a survey that prescription medications were at the top of the list for items they would like to see delivered.

“So with drone delivery, a medication can now show your house faster in many cases than if you went to get it… rather than the legacy pharmacy experience, where you drive to the store, wait in line, and have a personal health conversation at the counter,” said Love.

To further reduce the emissions of the “last mile” trip for package deliveries to customers, Amazon is buying 100,000 zero-emission, battery-electric vans from California-based manufacturer Rivian for its US operations by 2030. As of this year, it has received 10,000 of these battery-electric vans, which will be used to complete large and heavy package deliveries that cannot be completed by drone.

rivian 700 battery electric delivery vehicle amazon

Rivian 700 battery-electric van in use as Amazon delivery vehicles. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

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