I discovered that the fact of drone supply continues to be removed from preferrred, and folks could also be turned away by the steep studying curve. But on the similar time, it was an thrilling expertise—the prospect of routine drone supply feels extra life like than it’s ever been.
Meituan at present operates greater than 100 drones from 5 supply hubs (or launchpads) within the metropolis. Together, they accomplished over 100,000 orders in 2022. While the platform itself can ship principally something, from dinner to drugs to recent flowers to digital units, the drones are largely used for meals and drinks.
Why? Because Chinese folks care in regards to the temperature of their meals, Mao Yinian, head of Meituan’s drone supply division, tells me. “People care about it greatly—whether they can receive a hot meal or a cup of iced bubble tea in time. But when it comes to other [types of products], people don’t mind if it arrives 30 minutes faster or slower,” he says. Since Meituan’s drone flight routes are all automated—and the drones by no means run into site visitors—it’s simpler to exactly management the time it takes for the meal to be delivered. The drones often arrive inside seconds of the estimated time.
To have a cup of bubble tea delivered precisely whenever you need it? As a bubble tea fanatic, all I can say is signal me up. But after I tried it out, I discovered it’s not so simple as it sounds.
The first impediment: the drones don’t ship to the doorstep. Instead, they ship to one among a dozen pickup areas scattered across the metropolis—vending-machine-size kiosks that perform as each a touchdown pad for the drone and storage on your bundle in case you’re late to choose it up.
ZEYI YANG
Here started my first try. After wanting up all Meituan pickup areas on the map, I selected one close to the subway station I used to be at. I ordered an iced coconut tea latte, which was particularly marked within the app as being deliverable by a drone. I paid and commenced ready in pleasure.
Nope. I instantly acquired a textual content telling me that “because of a system upgrade,” my order can be delivered by a human courier as an alternative. Was it due to the dangerous climate? There had been a rainstorm in Shenzhen that morning, and the sky was nonetheless lined with darkish clouds. But after I checked with a consultant at Meituan, she stated the drones had been working.
It seems, she informed me, I had ordered from a restaurant in a unique district, and there have been no drone routes that flew from there to the kiosk I wished to ship my order to. There’s no technique to know that from the app, she stated.