Amazon Drones to Charge and Refuel Vehicles on the Go
Amazon's next great innovation; a fleet of drones that deliver energy to vehicles in need. A possible solution to the charging-infrastructure challenge.
In just a blink of an eye we’ve gone from Ford Model T to Tesla Model 3, Pong to Oculus Rift, fork to, well… a Bluetooth-enabled “smart fork” that vibrates when you eat too fast. Tech is moving so fast we can hardly keep pace. Let’s face it, Skynet’s inevitable. On the upside, if we can refrain, just for the time being, from giving rise to an AI overlord, Amazon may well introduce the next great innovation; a fleet of drones that deliver energy to vehicles in need.
Imagine being stranded in the middle of a desert. Your car didn’t have enough battery for the round trip and now you might die, or worse, your phone will. Better start drinking your own p— —, wait… what’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a drone and it’s here to help!
Amazon plans for the drones to locate energy-deficient vehicles by picking up transmitted data signals. In turn they will attach to a vehicle—stationary or in motion—and begin transferring energy, similar to how a fighter jet uses aircraft to refuel in-flight. Amazon’s blueprints for the drone also feature a fuel transfer connector, which is great news for petrol heads.
Now that car manufacturers are embracing the future of electric vehicles, costs are dropping, demand is growing, and production is ramping up. One problem brought about by this change is a shortage of charging points. Fortunately, Amazon’s drones may well prove an effective solution to the charging-infrastructure challenge.
Next up on Our Bizarre Future, drones administer shots of insulin to unsuspecting diabetics, thwart a terror attack, and do the school run.
Marc Ward
