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Home » Hybrid Fuel Tech May Give Drone Deliveries Juice Needed to Overcome Weight, Distance Limitations

Hybrid Fuel Tech May Give Drone Deliveries Juice Needed to Overcome Weight, Distance Limitations

March 30, 2015
MIT Technology Review

A new hybrid gas-electric aircraft could make drone delivery more practical. Developed by a startup called Top Flight Technologies, the six-rotor drone can fly for more than two-and-a-half hours - or 160 kilometers - carrying a payload weighing nine kilograms.

The aircraft’s range is many times that of any quadcopter on the market - the most popular type of drone for its maneuverability. Almost all quadcopters run on batteries, and can fly for only about 40 minutes between charges with a payload weighing just a couple of kilograms. The new drone can also fly more than twice as far as a radio-controlled, gasoline-powered helicopter of similar size.

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    KEYWORDS consumer packaged goods Express/Small Shipments last-mile delivery Logistics logistics management: express/small shipments logistics services MIT Technology Review quadcopters same-day delivery Transportation & Distribution unmanned aerial vehicles
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