Drones could soon be the future for “last-mile” delivery.
A study shows that over short distances, drones use less energy and produce less emissions than your conventional diesel truck. This effectively would be a more efficient way to transport packages from a local warehouse to any neighborhood.
“Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for last-mile deliveries will affect the energy productivity of delivery and
require new methods to understand energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” Thiago Rodrigues Carnegie Mellon University
Energy consumption and CO2e emissions — otherwise known as carbon dioxide equivalents — of different delivery vehicles. (Thiago Rodrigues/ Patterns)
In the article it says “Drones can have up to 94% lower energy consumption per
package than other vehicles” which all in all would have a better impact on the environment
With the growing demand online shopping and contactless deliveries, the need to have so many trucks on the road releasing greenhouse gas emissions is dwindling. The study continues with saying that 60% of online shoppers are willing to pay extra to have their packages delivered by a drone or robot.
Speaking to a few Fanshawe students, they do have some mixed opinions on switching to drone deliveries.
The study was done after Amazon announced its new Prime Air program earlier this summer. In its test runs, Amazon would have packages less than 5 pounds delivered to customers from a warehouse 15 miles away.
This new technology would put a damper on the trucking industry but could also be innovational for saving the environment.
