<story><title>FAA authorizes Zipline to deliver commercial packages using drones</title><url>https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-authorizes-zipline-deliver-commercial-packages-beyond-line-sight</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bnegreve</author><text>The size of these vehicles is certainly absurd, but flying packages with drones that consume most of their energy to fight gravity does not seem particularly efficient either, (e.g. compared to small road electric vehicles with the same payload, which would have its own practical problems).</text></item><item><author>nomilk</author><text>&amp;gt; when your lunch only weighs a few ounces, delivering it in 2-ton gas powered vehicles is wildly inefficient&lt;p&gt;Seems absurd when it&amp;#x27;s put like that. This is possibly something we&amp;#x27;ll look back on and struggle to comprehend how it was ever the go-to solution.</text></item><item><author>Flockster</author><text>A video from Mark Rober about Zipline, to get an idea. I was very impressed when I first heard of them.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;youtu.be&amp;#x2F;DOWDNBu9DkU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;youtu.be&amp;#x2F;DOWDNBu9DkU&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>jcims</author><text>Sure but there&amp;#x27;s a tradeoff with ground transport.  A drone can make the trip with much shorter traveled distance and potentially higher speed, resulting in higher utilization per vehicle.  It also doesn&amp;#x27;t interfere with road traffic, which could have externalities in longer idle time for other vehicles at intersections and whatnot.&lt;p&gt;Both are better than Garret in his 2007 Ford Explorer driving around town all day delivering timbits and tacos.</text></comment>
<story><title>FAA authorizes Zipline to deliver commercial packages using drones</title><url>https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-authorizes-zipline-deliver-commercial-packages-beyond-line-sight</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>bnegreve</author><text>The size of these vehicles is certainly absurd, but flying packages with drones that consume most of their energy to fight gravity does not seem particularly efficient either, (e.g. compared to small road electric vehicles with the same payload, which would have its own practical problems).</text></item><item><author>nomilk</author><text>&amp;gt; when your lunch only weighs a few ounces, delivering it in 2-ton gas powered vehicles is wildly inefficient&lt;p&gt;Seems absurd when it&amp;#x27;s put like that. This is possibly something we&amp;#x27;ll look back on and struggle to comprehend how it was ever the go-to solution.</text></item><item><author>Flockster</author><text>A video from Mark Rober about Zipline, to get an idea. I was very impressed when I first heard of them.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;youtu.be&amp;#x2F;DOWDNBu9DkU&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noreferrer&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;youtu.be&amp;#x2F;DOWDNBu9DkU&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>reacweb</author><text>The existence of migratory birds proves that the loss of energy due to the Earth&amp;#x27;s gravitational pull is not so catastrophic. A vehicle in motion also loses energy because of the friction of the wheels. Above a certain speed, air friction becomes the most significant loss. The comparison of the energy balance of a vehicle on the road compared with a vehicle in the air is not as clear-cut. Vehicles on wheels are much heavier and require infrastructure (roads) that must be taken into account.</text></comment>