Drone delivery at ZF

At the ZF Friedrichshafen headquarters, a six-engine, autonomous hexacopter is used to transport small and heavy parts between the central warehouse and the production plants.

The electric aircraft can fly for 30 to 40 minutes on a single charge at a maximum speed of 30 kilometers / hour. This form of transport is a durable test for the time being, the maximum load capacity of the device is five kilograms, although the payload has been reduced to three kilograms due to the transport box. The drone transport is not only fast but also environmentally friendly, as it only has to fly one and a half kilometers by air, which is about two to three minutes, while a car has to travel four or five kilometers on the streets, which has taken 15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic. More and more companies and firms see an advantage in using their small numbers of drones for their own parts or materials.