• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • About Us
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Parcel & Express
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Robotics
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Customer Relationship Management
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • Green Energy
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Management & Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Warehouse Automation
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • WHITEPAPERS
  • VIDEOS
Home » Logistics » 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.

Read Full Article

    RELATED CONTENT

    RELATED VIDEOS

    Logistics Parcel & Express Transportation & Distribution Consumer Packaged Goods
    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
    • Related Articles

      Drone Deliveries From Drugstore Now a Reality in Virginia Town

      Mercedes Plans More Drone Deliveries After 100 Perfect Flights

      UPS Tests Drone Deliveries, Eyes Future Price Changes

    • Related Directories

      ProcureAbility

      GLS US

    MIT Technology Review

    To Meet Fuel-Efficiency Standards, Automakers Must Continually Shed Pounds from Their Products

    More from this author

    Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

    Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

    Featured Product

    Popular Stories

    • Stacks of multi-colored shipping containers arranged in rows at a port, with rows of blue and grey shipping cranes lining the background along the coastline

      Port of Savannah Approved for New 3.5M TEU Terminal

      Global Gateways
    • An overhead view of a port, with stacks of containers and vehicles moving through rows

      Podcast | AI in Supply Chain Planning: Impact, Promise and Limits

      Artificial Intelligence
    • An overhead view of a shipping port stacked with containers, with stylized lines forming a grid connecting ships and berths

      Beyond De Minimis: Why Importers Need Defensible Shipment Data

      Parcel & Express
    • On Demand Webinar Oliver Wight Wed Oct 14 2026 2p ET.png

      AI in IBP: From Data to Decisions

      Webinars
    • SCB_Q426_SAP_FSR_THUMB_2.jpg

      An AI Playbook for Your Journey to Autonomous Planning

      Global Logistics

    Digital Edition

    Scb q3 26 cover

    100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2026: The Secret to Supply Chain Success

    VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

    Case Studies

    • Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

    • A GRAPHIC SHOWING MULTIPLE FORMS OF SHIPPING, WITH A HUMAN STANDING AT THE CENTER, TOUCHING A SYMBOLIC MAP OF THE WORLD

      Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

    • A GRAPHIC OF INTERLACING HONEYCOMBED ELEMENTS REPRESENTING GLOBAL BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS

      Moving Robots Site-to-Site

    • JLL Finds Perfect Warehouse Location, Leading to $15M Grant for Startup

    • Robots Speed Fulfillment to Help Apparel Company Scale for Growth

    Visit Our Sponsors

    4flow Amazon Freight Anaplan
    Arkieva AutoStore Blue Yonder
    Canadian National Railway Company Carton Cloud CoEnterprise
    Dassault Descartes Dexory
    Duravant E2Open EPG
    General Logistics Systems GEP Hy-Tek
    iGPS Knapp Korber
    Lyngsoe Odyssey Logistics OMP
    PeakAI Procurability Quinyx
    SAP Sikick Staples
    S&P Global Mobility Systech TADA
    Tive TransImpact US Bank
    Werner WSI
    • More From SCB
      • Featured Content
      • Video Library
      • Think Tank Blog
      • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
      • Whitepapers
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
    • Digital Offerings
      • Digital Issue
      • Subscribe
      • Manage Email Preferences
      • Newsletters
    • Resources
      • Events Calendar
      • 2026 Event Coverage
      • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
      • Supplier Directory
      • Case Study Showcase
      • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
      • 100 Great Partners Form
    • SCB Corporate
      • Advertise on SCB.COM
      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact Us
      • Data Sharing Opt-Out

    All content copyright ©2026 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing