Could drones deliver electric vehicle batteries someday? asks Sebastian Blanco in Forbes. Perhaps the possibility is not as far-fetched as we think because the Israeli company Better Place thought this was possible before it shut down in 2013. We understand it burned close to $1 billion donor funds exploring the possibility. Now someone else is probing, could drones really deliver electric vehicle batteries? That would have to be a mighty big drone.
ETAK Wonders, Could Drones Deliver Electric Vehicle Batteries?
ETAK Systems is in the business of installing wireless cell towers and carriers. Moreover, other customers hire their services for audits, drone flights, new builds, tower adds, small cell installations, and power plants.
Better Place garnered funding from the likes of Renault, by posing the intriguing question, could drones deliver electric vehicle batteries whereas ETAK Systems is ostensibly more interested in using a drone to install wireless cell towers according to Sebastian Blanco. To quote him further, popping out a 100-kW battery pack for an EV replacement is yesterday’s dream.
But There’s Something More behind ETAK’s Strategy.
ETAK lodged a patent application on July 7, 2018. This related to using an unmanned aerial vehicle to supply batteries to a remote site, namely a cell phone tower. However, Forbes spotted a throwaway remark towards the end of the application.
Sebastian Blanco spotted a deviation from the cell phone tower theme. And it was “hidden towards the bottom … in all likelihood just in there to cover the company in case this idea, ahem, gains wings”. Furthermore, this phrase speaks of delivering batteries to electric vehicles as opposed to cell towers, and thereby opens up a new range of possibilities.
Ecommerce is about bringing stores closer to their customers. Therefore, if we can deliver a McDonalds or a Kentucky to a customer, could drones not deliver electric vehicle batteries to a remote location too?
We realize this is just a matter of scale, imagination and a pocketful of lateral thought. Another good idea waiting for an entrepreneurial genius?
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Preview Image: Icarus Drone
