It was recently announced that the company Zipline https://www.flyzipline.com is now delivering prescriptions and medical products directly to select Intermountain Healthcare https://intermountainhealthcare.org patients’ yards in the Salt Lake Valley area.
Zipline’s Utah delivery system will expand gradually over five years and will eventually deliver directly to more than 1 million people. Intermountain is the first health system west of the Mississippi River to use Zipline to bring prescriptions and over the counter medications to patients’ homes via Zipline’s on-demand logistics system which includes fully electric, autonomous aircrafts.
After signing up for deliveries, Zipline will evaluate whether the companies can deliver to some homes based on several factors, including the yard size, location, surrounding airspace, and then Zipline will get in touch with eligible customers that are interested in using the Zipline system.
The electric small-fixed wing fully autonomous aircraft operate quietly and are able to release packages with parachutes to a patient’s yard in an area about the size of a couple of parking spaces. Aircraft. Zipline’s aircrafts can fly up to a 50 mile radius in most weather conditions.
Each flight produces about 30 times less CO2 emissions per mile than an electric vehicle and up to 98% less CO2 emissions than a combustion engine vehicle, according to company estimates. These environment benefits are particularly important where air quality has been a major issue.
Test flights in Utah have begun. This partnership will expand gradually over five years and eventually be capable of delivering to approximately 90% of patient homes in the Salt Lake Valley area. Over time, the companies will expand beyond the Salt Lake Valley area to serve other communities in Utah.