A drone may be delivering your next vitamin or supplement order. Leading global health and wellness company GNC is joining forces with Zipline to offer fully electric drone delivery in select markets in the US starting this summer.
Electric drones to deliver GNC health and fitness items
Founded in 2014, Zipline began delivering emergency blood supplies to remote villages in Rwanda via electric drones two years later, saving hundreds of lives while growing to become the world’s largest autonomous delivery system.
Zipline now completes over 1,000 deliveries daily, from vaccines to e-commerce items and food. The company operates on three continents (North America, Africa, and Asia) in seven countries, working to deliver goods for Walmart, Toyota, Pfizer, national governments, and many others around the world.
GNC is the latest to partner with Zipline after launching its same-day delivery service. Alan Chester, chief supply officer at GNC, commented on the innovative partnership, saying:
Drone delivery is an innovative way to make our fulfillment, distribution, and delivery processes more efficient, more effective, and faster, ultimately benefiting our consumers.
Beginning this summer in Salt Lake City, Utah, GNC will work with Zipline to offer purely electric drone delivery for its health and fitness products. GNC customers in the area that wish to use the service can sign up at https://www.flyzipline.com/gnc to confirm their eligibility.
How it works
After confirming your address, any health and fitness items bought on GNC’s website will be available for drone delivery via the “Zips” (the autonomous drone’s nickname).
GNC will start with Zipline’s Platform 1 long-range delivery system featuring a fleet of small, fully autonomous drones that quietly release packages with parachutes to your yard.
In 2024, GNC will start using the company’s recently revealed Platform 2 system (P2), designed for city deliveries that use 97% less energy than traveling by car. In addition, Zipline says its P2 system can complete deliveries seven times faster than traditional delivery methods.
CEO and cofounder of Zipline, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, explained:
Over the last decade, global demand for instant delivery has skyrocketed, but the technology we’re using to deliver is 100 years old. We’re still using the same 3,000-pound, gas combustion vehicles, driven by humans, to make billions of deliveries that usually weigh less than 5 pounds. It’s slow, it’s expensive, and it’s terrible for the planet.
The company’s Zips can complete a 10-mile delivery in about 10 minutes while carrying 6-8 lbs, easily beating the average leading delivery service. And they will automatically redistribute themselves from dock to dock, dynamically responding to peak order times.
Cliffton added its new service is “the closest thing to teleportation” with a smooth and ultrafast autonomous delivery system.
In the US, Zipline currently designs, tests, and builds its Zips in California while serving customers in Arkansas, Utah, and North Carolina. Next year, the company will expand to Michigan and Washington, with others expected to be announced soon.
By 2025, Zipline expects to operate more flights annually than almost all major US airlines as it continues to meet the need for fast, efficient, and sustainable delivery options.
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