Amazon drone delivery service advances, expansions announced
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Amazon shared with KBTX on Wednesday multiple expansions and technology advancements surrounding its Prime Air delivery service.
While College Station and Lockeford, California, are the only two locations currently where this service is available, Amazon says in 2024 they will expand to another state in the United States plus Europe (UK and Italy).
Not only that but on Tuesday a College Station customer received the very first Amazon Prime Air prescription delivery. This is a new extension of the service allowing customers to order a number of prescriptions that will be delivered by drone in under an hour.
Representatives for Amazon say this service launched just in time for cold and flu season, hopefully making it easier to access medications while preventing interactions at a pharmacy.
In addition, Amazon Prime Air will be launching a new drone in 2024, the MK30. According to a press release, this drone operates similarly to the current ones we see flying over College Station but with improvements. Those include doubling the distance the drones are able to travel and deliver, reducing temperature impacts, and noise reduction from propellers.
College Station Amazon Prime Air customer, Penny Zent, says this should help improve the livelihood of those who are impacted by the noise. Currently, delivery drones produce noise similar to a lawn mower and representatives for Amazon say they are no louder than typical neighborhood noise.
The new drones also are smaller and lighter than the current 80-pound drone.
Amazon hosted a media tour of the College Station facility on Wednesday where they made information public. This tour worked in conjunction with an event in Seattle where the announcement was made.
We’ll have more on this tonight on Live at Five and News 3 at 6.
