Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will expand its drone delivery service to reach hundreds of cities across the United States by the end of the year, a sharp increase from the 11 locations where it currently operates.
The company said the expansion would extend its reach to roughly 500 localities. A single distribution center can serve multiple cities within a radius of about 12 kilometers, according to Amazon.
A Decade in the Making
The expansion comes more than ten years after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos introduced what he called "octocopters," or unmanned drones, in 2013. At the time, Bezos predicted the service would be available within four to five years.
Amazon has redesigned its Prime Air drone several times since then. Earlier models landed on the ground to deliver packages, while the current version, known as the MK30, hovers a few meters above the ground and releases parcels without touching down.
Cost and Regulatory Hurdles
Drone delivery costs customers $4.99, or $2 less for Amazon Prime members, and the fee is waived on orders of at least $50.
Amazon will need to secure regulatory approval in each community where it plans to operate, a process that often involves city council hearings and public comment from residents. The company said it already has approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones over most regions of the country.
Pushback in Idaho
The approval process has not always gone smoothly. At a planning and zoning meeting in Nampa, Idaho, in May, Amazon executive Sam Bailey faced roughly an hour of questions from residents about noise, safety and drone logistics.
Some residents opposed the service for a range of reasons, including concerns about the safety of birds. The city council ultimately voted unanimously to approve the deployment.
Addressing Noise Concerns
Bailey said the drones are audible for about 20 seconds as they descend before flying off, producing a noise level lower than that of a lawnmower.
He described it as a brief experience, and said that while the technology is a recent innovation and so seems different, it is no different from a delivery truck passing through a neighborhood street.
