Takeaway food firm Ele.me enters the drone delivery age, with trials starting on its 65km/hour ‘E7’
The Chinese start-up claims its new E7 can carry up to six kilos of food and fly as far as 20 kilometres
Ele.me, one of China’s leading internet food delivery platforms, is to introduce an improved fleet of drones which it claims will improve efficiency and be able to carry more food.
The company’s new model, the “E7”, made its debut during the World Unmanned Systems Conference in Shanghai over the weekend, and is the third-generation drone to be trialled by Ele.me.
The Chinese start-up claims the E7 can carry up to six kilos of food and fly as far as 20 kilometres at a maximum speed of 65km per hour – parameters that will allow its commercial use in China.
The E7 will start drone-delivery trials soon based out of a few sites in a mix of Chinese cities and says it will unveil an even-more advanced drone model in April next year. The company already makes more than 10 million daily food deliveries.
“Currently we do not have a timetable for the mass adoption of drones for food delivery as drone delivery technology needs further improvement and relevant plans need approval from regulatory authorities,” Ele.me told the South China Morning Post.