Amazon customers in Tracy, Calif., could soon receive their packages from an autonomous drone in as little as 30 minutes.
The e-commerce giant is preparing to launch its Prime Air service in Tracy as part of a broader expansion effort that will bring delivery drones to 500 cities and towns by the end of the year.
Prime Air already operates in 11 communities, including San Antonio, Baton Rouge and Kansas City.
Amazon launched its first-ever drones in California in the Lockeford area in 2022.
Drone delivery ended in the state about a year later, but is set to return within a month.
Critics have said the drones are susceptible to security risks including hacking and package theft, as well as risks associated with an overcrowded airspace. Recent drone deliveries have not been flawless — a video spread across the internet earlier this month after an Amazon drone dropped a Texas customer’s package into her swimming pool.
But Amazon said its Prime Air program is improving as it grows.
“Every flight that we take starts with safety,” Erik Robertson, Prime Air regional operations manager for the West, said in an interview. “We love what we’re doing for our customers right now. We have a lot of items to offer the community and the feedback has been tremendous.”
Community members will get a chance to preview the drone Saturday at the Sweet Dreams Car Show in downtown Tracy.
The drones are authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration and travel at altitudes between 250 and 400 feet, Robertson said.
Each drone can travel up to 7.5 miles from the local distribution center in Tracy while carrying a shoebox-sized package weighing up to 5 pounds.
The drones are fully electric and produce zero emissions.
Millions of items are eligible for drone delivery out of the Tracy facility, Robertson said, from medications to phone chargers and cleaning products.
Some drone deliveries in Phoenix have been completed in under 15 minutes. Drone shipping is free for Amazon Prime members on orders over $50 and costs $2.99 for orders under $50. For non-members, it costs $4.99.
Customers in Prime Air’s service areas will see the option for drone delivery on the Amazon website if their order is eligible.
They can input details such as a specific drop-off location and time. In each community where drones already operate, the drones have a total delivery radius of about 175 square miles.
Amazon wouldn’t share how many autonomous drones are coming to Tracy, saying the number will increase depending on demand.
The drones are not remotely controlled but are overseen by on-site flight monitors who track airspace and work with local airports.