Amazon says Prime Air will begin delivering packages via drones 'within months'
Retail giant Amazon announced Wednesday at its re:MARS Conference in Las Vegas that the company will be delivering packages to its customers via drones “within months.”
Jeff Wilke, the CEO of Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer, made the announcement and showed off the company’s latest drone.
“We’ve been hard at work building fully electric drones that can fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages under five pounds to customers in less than 30 minutes,” Wilke said in an announcement. “And, with the help of our world-class fulfillment and delivery network, we expect to scale Prime Air both quickly and efficiently, delivering packages via drone to customers within months.”
The company said it expected Prime Air to begin delivering packages “within months” to its customers via drone.
Wilke said the drone was safe and had a hybrid design. The drone was also crafted to operate in strong winds.
“We know customers will only feel comfortable receiving drone deliveries if they know the system is incredibly safe,” Wilke said in a statement. “So we’re building a drone that isn’t just safe, but independently safe, using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.”
The drone will also have sensors in order to detect objects while it’s in motion. Wilke said the drones will be sustainable and will cut down on “fuel usage” while reducing emissions.
“Our drones are safe, efficient, stable, and good for the environment,” Wilke said. “We know customers have high standards, so we set a high bar for Prime Air. And we’re excited to be nearing our goal.”
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Bezos told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in 2013 that his company would have drones capable of delivering packages to customers within “four, five years.” However, last year The Associated Press reported that various issues kept Amazon from entering the tightly regulated commercial space.
Fox Business’ Thomas Barrabi contributed to this report.
