SAN DIEGO — Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, is expanding its drone delivery service to seven additional U.S. markets through a partnership with Walmart. The new markets include Memphis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Salt Lake City.
This expansion increases the total coverage area for the Wing and Walmart partnership to nearly 20 U.S. markets. Wing uses autonomous drones for retail item delivery, including groceries and coffee. Walmart has previously tested drone delivery systems for several years.
The partnership aims to operate drone-delivery networks at more than 270 Walmart locations within the next year. In January, the companies announced plans to add the drone-delivery service to 150 additional Walmart stores. Wing has completed over 1 million commercial deliveries through its Walmart partnership.
The service is currently active in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Greater Houston. Wing and Walmart have also announced future expansion plans for Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and Miami. In January, company leadership stated that the top 25 percent of Wing's customers use the drone delivery service three times per week.
Wing drones have a maximum flight speed of 60 miles per hour and utilize a tether mechanism to lower packages into residential yards or driveways. Wing and Walmart plan to hold meetings with local officials and community members to discuss the drone delivery system. A specific launch date for the drone delivery service in San Diego has not been announced.
Heather Rivera, Chief Business Officer at Wing, said, "Our work with Walmart has shown that drone delivery is not just a novelty. It is a service many customers count on multiple times per week."
No independent assessment was available for this report.