Pelican Cargo offers a range of up to 200 miles and a payload capacity of 400 pounds.
Pyka, a California-based aviation startup focusing on autonomous vehicle technology, brought out an autonomous electric crop duster called the Pelican Sprayer in 2020.
"We designed this plane to eliminate C02 emissions from the logistics chain while offering a significant speed advantage over ground transportation and operating costs at a fraction of conventional air transportation," said Michael Norcia, Pyka's Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder.Pelican Cargo offers a range of up to 200 miles and can carry a payload of 400 pounds in 66 cubic feet of cargo volume.
The aircraft is compact in dimensions, with a length of 24 ft and a height of 7 ft . The total wingspan stands 38 ft and only requires a 600 x 50 ft paved/gravel/dirt/grass runway for operations. The aircraft can attain a cruising speed of 92-103 mph . The ability of the system to operate from a 450 ft runway enables it to be used in places with less infrastructural support.
The firm raised $37 million in a Series A funding round in 2022 and has bagged pre-orders for over 80 for its Pelican Sprayer and "options for its Pelican Cargo from three launch customers across North America and Europe." The firm is currently testing its new model at its flight test facility in Northern California. The first commercial operation of Pelican Cargo is expected to commence by the second half of 2023.
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