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Wingcopter exploring hydrogen-powered drones
Wing, eBay, Arrival, Wingcopter, Pony ai, and more
Okerosi Davis
March 28, 2023
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Today’s number is $300 million. This is the latest amount Arrival recently raised as a lifeline to help them stay in business.
Hello and welcome back to news, trends & insights in the industry.
In today’s edition:
3 Start-ups (Arrival, Pony ai, Wing)
2 Old guards (BJ, eBay)
1 Tech in drone delivery (Wingcopter)
1 Logistics Origins (Horses and wagons)
Let’s dive in.
In the Box
Arrival raises $300 million as a lifeline for 2023
The pre-revenue electric delivery van company closed a $300 million funding led by Westwood Capital.
The goal for the funding is to help keep the publicly listed company afloat till late 2023.
Arrival’s Chief Financial Officer John Wozniak said the company is looking to raise an additional $500 million - a projection of $100 to $150 million by end of this 2023 to fund their XL program.
The electric delivery van company recently pulled away production from its micro-factory in Bicester, UK to focus its efforts in the U.S. In the earnings call, Wozniak had to say:
“The larger market size for commercial vehicles in the U.S. paired with higher average selling prices and margins and IRA tax credits of up to $40,000 per vehicle create an extremely compelling opportunity for electric commercial vehicles in the U.S.,”
Side note: Arrival is on track to build the 10 XL van in Bicester due August. Currently, they have built two.
Pony ai and Meituan partner to apply ADV.
Chinese leading online shopping platform Meituan struck a strategic partnership with Pony ai to promote its commercial application of autonomous delivery technology.
Under the cooperation, an autonomous delivery vehicle (ADV) company will tailor an automated delivery domain controller for Meituan. Currently, small-scale domain controllers have been deployed and are expected to expand to 10,000 units by 2024.
Tech: Pony ai’s domain controller is based on the dual NVIDIA DRIVE Orin System on Chip (SoC).
Alphabet X’s Wing delivery network is like a ‘rideshare’
In a recent blog post according to Techcrunch, Wing notes:
“…..Wing’s approach to delivery is different. We see drone delivery at scale looking more like an efficient data network than a traditional transportation system. As with many other areas of technology, from data centers to smartphones, the physical hardware is only as useful as the software and logistics networks that make it meaningful for organizations and their customers.”
The flexibility of loaders allows easy pickup and drop off to another pick-up. In this sense, Wing drones operate similarly to Uber or Lyft.
“Drones within the Wing Delivery Network can pick up, drop off, travel, and charge in whatever pattern makes the most sense for the entire system,” writes
Technology
Wingcopter exploring hydrogen to power drones
The German drone makers and operators are exploring the potential of hydrogen use to power drones.
Although it’s already electric-powered, the goal is to have a sustainable hydrogen propulsion system. Additionally, by re-fitting the electric battery powered down with a hydrogen system for free-emission deliveries, the company also wants to make the drones powerful.
Partnership: ZAL‘s Fuel Cell Lab in Hamburg.
Our mission is to bring hydrogen into the air and create innovative solutions for sustainable aviation. With Wingcopter as our partner, we’re not only impressed by their drones’ flight performance, but also by their clear vision of how urban air mobility and especially drone delivery can help improve people’s lives. This aligns perfectly with ZAL’s values. With our expertise, we want to convert the Wingcopter to hydrogen and thus strengthen the Hamburg UAM network Windrove with another flagship project.”
Old Guards
BJ’s Wholesale Club
The united states retailer has seen growth through strengthening its fulfillment processes with same-day delivery orders.
According to Supply Chain Dive, the company has enabled digital sales through delivery in a couple of ways:
In-store pick-up for online orders
Ship to home
Same-day delivery
Curbside pickup
Last year the company launched Same Day Select which members receive unlimited same-day delivery for a $100/year fee. BJ’s last-mile delivery has partners like Doordash, and Roadie (UPS-owned).
eBay
The e-commerce giant has partnered with Shiprocket X - the cross-border logistic arm for Shiprocket. The goal is to provide e-commerce solutions for Indian SMEs.
The partnership with eBay Global Shipping (ESG) with Shiprocket X will enable eBay cross-border sellers from India to deliver packages in over 160 countries including the UK, US, German, and more.
“The all-inclusive services provided by Shiprocket X will enable Indian businesses to reduce time spent on logistics operations by enabling them to manage and deliver orders internationally via eBay Global Shipping platform,”
Logistics Origins
Horses and Wagons
The domestication of horses began in 400 BC in Central Asia. The Yamnaya were probably the first to tame horses for their own use.
Soon after the idea of using horses and wagons began to pick momentum. And by 2,500 BC Sumerian people in West Asia were using horses and wagons.
Thank you for reading.
My goal is to break down complex technologies in the logistics and supply chain industry. Hope it is worthwhile.
Over and out,
Okerosi