It is deploying at least two types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to deliver to rural areas from designated distribution centers located outside of Suqian city in the northern Jiangsu province, asiancorrespondent.com reports.
The drones can make deliveries of up to 15 kilograms each, as well as load and unload packages on their own, managing up to 200 packages per day in a single flight route and covering a maximum distance of 20 kilometers at 54 kilometers per hour.
While the drones do not deliver directly to people’s houses, they are a convenience for those who live in rural areas that are difficult to access even by vehicles.
The delivery fees apparently halve to less than USD 0.075 per parcel when using the UAVs, which fly between the distribution centers before depositing parcels to “village promoters”, who will then sort separate home deliveries.
The service is currently limited to the Jiangsu province, due to regulatory restrictions in other areas in China, and it is not known when JD plans to expand the drone deliveries.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now