Bell says it is ready to “transform” on-demand delivery service and has teamed up with Yamato, a Japanese shipping and logistics company, to develop electric-powered cargo drones by the mid-2020s. “Through this joint effort, we are eager to set a new precedent for on-demand delivery and future large-scale logistics,” said Scott Drennan, Bell’s vice president of innovation. Bell plans to develop a drone that can pick up a payload pod and reach speeds more than 100 MPH. The eVTOL will be scalable to carry loads from 15 pounds to a half-ton. Yamato will develop the cargo pod and work to integrate the new technology with its existing ground logistics network.
“Through this joint effort, we are eager to set a new precedent for on-demand delivery and future large-scale logistics,” saidScott Drennan, Bell’s vice president of Innovation. The Yamato logo, a cat carrying a kitten in her mouth, symbolizes the care given to every shipment, the company says. “It is the best-known logo on the island nation, as familiar to the Japanese as the Coca-Cola logo in the United States,” according to Yamato.
