The company says supplier deliveries have been slow, pushing the manufacturer to spend more on airfreight Supply-chain shortages are slowing the rollout of Nikola’s hydrogen-powered big rigs. Steve Girsky, Nikola’s chief executive, says a shortage of pressurized fuel tanks and electric batteries is delaying production of the newest zero-emission technology for truckers. The hangups are… Continue reading Nikola’s Rollout of Hydrogen Trucks Is Hitting Supply-Chain Hurdles
Month: March 2024
Report: An Uncertain Economy Weighs on Embedded Finance Innovation for Marketplaces
Logistics and wholesale trade businesses exhibit robust demand for embedded finance innovations. For example, most payment facilitators (PayFacs), independent software vendors (ISVs) and marketplaces are very or extremely interested in digital wallet innovations.50%: Share of PayFacs naming operational enhancements as their top innovation priority Many players in this sector prioritize operational improvements, such as faster… Continue reading Report: An Uncertain Economy Weighs on Embedded Finance Innovation for Marketplaces
Delivery Drones Are Gaining a Clearer Commercial Flight Path
Recent federal approvals have retailers ramping up tests, but hurdles to consumer acceptance remain
Cassidy Shorland, a council member in Logan, Australia, wanted a refreshing treat on a hot day recently, but didn’t want to get in his car and leave the office. So Shorland opened a DoorDash delivery app, clicked on a mango-flavored juice from a nearby smoothie chain, then walked outside as a big white-and-yellow drone came into view and lowered a tethered box holding his juice.
Shorland, 47, is one of the customers in the small municipality near Brisbane who routinely order things from rotisserie chickens to pain medicine delivered by drone.
“I don’t need to get away from my desk until I get a notification,” Shorland said, “whilst some of my colleagues have to jump in the car [and] drive to the closest little retail or shopping center.”
It’s the kind of routine service that has mostly eluded drone operators in the U.S. as they’ve navigated regulatory obstacles, community unease and challenging economics over the past decade in a bid to bring new technology to the puzzle of last-mile delivery.
Industry executives say they have an improved landscape in 2024, however, after federal regulators recently granted several drone-delivery companies permission to fly more freely. That has led several retailers, restaurants and healthcare systems to expand their services across the U.S.