Hybrid drone developed for package deliveries
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028724
MIT Technology Review : A new hybrid gas–electric drone can fly longer and carry heavier payloads than current models. Developed by Top Flight Technologies , the six-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses batteries to supplement a gasoline-powered engine. The UAV can fly for more than two hours over distances up to 160 km and can carry a payload weighing as much as 9 kg. That is much longer and farther, and with a much heavier payload, than has been achieved by any battery-operated drone on the market. Such a craft is being sought by such internet-based retail and delivery companies as Google, Amazon, and DHL as an efficient and inexpensive way to deliver packages. Top Flight’s hybrid drones may be available for purchase by the end of the year.
