Will drone food delivery work?
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Join us for CoMotion LA ‘26 this November 18-19 for our 10th edition: Cities on the Move: Mega-events, AI & Shaping What’s Next — featuring the OMF Summit Track.
It wasn’t that long ago driverless cars and robot food delivery seemed outlandish. Now they’re here, but it’s still not clear what comes next. With Waymo’s new purpose-built robotaxi, are we about to see autonomy fulfill the dream of its visionaries: low prices at mass scale, allowing far more people to ditch car ownership? Some Uber Eats customers will soon have the option of getting food delivered by drone. But is that actually going to become common? And will it be profitable? In mobility as in life, be wary of anybody who says they know what the future holds.
What you need to know
Delivery drones coming to Uber Eats: The ride-hail giant announces a partnership with Zipline to deliver food to Uber Eats customers by autonomous drone. The companies say they expect drone deliveries to begin by the end of the year and are aiming for 1 million drone deliveries a day by 2029. Zipline, which started out a decade ago delivering blood and medical supplies to hard-to-reach parts of Rwanda, has in the past year expanded into food and retail delivery through partnerships with Walmart and Chipotle. Like with robotaxis, a lot of questions remain about the future of drone delivery. Will it be meaningfully cheaper than the status quo? How will regulators react? And will people accept a more congested sky in exchange for less congested roads?
Waymo’s new wheels: Waymo is beginning to deploy a new purpose-built robotaxi, the Ojai, in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The Ojai, manufactured by China’s Zeekr, is essentially a mini-van equipped with Waymo’s latest self-driving tech. Until now, Waymo has been relying on pricey Jaguar I-PACE EVs. The problem is that conventional vehicles are designed principally for drivers, not passengers. The Ojai offers flat floors, more rear seat space and screens and controls designed for passengers. Waymo is also counting on it being a resilient vehicle that it can manufacture and maintain at scale affordably. Whether that happens will determine whether Waymo becomes profitable.
Time for better tires: The California Energy Commission announces new standards for replacement tires, a move that it projects will save California drivers $1 billion a year in fuel and electricity costs. When you replace your tires, the new ones are typically not as efficient as those that came with the car, reducing the car’s fuel efficiency or range. The commission estimates the new standards will raise the upfront cost of new tires by $6.50 a tire but will save the driver seven times that in reduced fuel or electricity costs over the life of the tires.
13 weeks to go! 😎🌴
Join us at the special 10th edition of CoMotion LA, and join the leaders, innovators and decision-makers reshaping how cities move, connect and grow.
Participate in public sector pitches, walking tours, panels, keynotes, live demos, workshops, networking sessions, LA New Mobility Challenge, and sizzling evening receptions.
Latest confirmed speakers:
- Jodi Hart, Deputy Director / CFO, Pittsburgh Parking Authority
- Annabel R. Chang, Director of U.S. State and Local Public Policy and Political Campaigns, Waymo
- Phil Pierce, City Policy Lead, Zoox
- Tania Mahan, Senior Transport Integration & Mobility Manager, FIFA World Cup 2026™
- Seamus Murphy, Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Ferry
- Eyal Cohen, CEO & Founder, Humble Robotics
- Leah Shahum, Founder, Executive Director, Vision Zero Network
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What we’re reading
The little things that count for a downtown recovery: In a thoughtful piece in his newsletter, Challenger Cities, Iain Montgomery argues cities are wrong to focus so much on major projects like sports arenas and convention centers or special events aimed at tourists. Instead, he argues they need to think more about the many small things that make it attractive to experience day-to-day life downtown.
