DoorDash states its new drone delivery service may launch this year with minimal noise — literally.
During a media event at its headquarters Tuesday, DoorDash revealed its internally designed drone set to debut in Northern California “in the coming months,” according to cofounder and chief product officer Stanley Tang.
On the headquarters’ rooftop, DoorDash’s drone rested on a platform with its six propellers rotating. Ambient wind, music, and conversation masked any noise from the aircraft.
Harrison Shih, head of DoorDash Air, informed Themoneytimes that the propellers weren’t rotating at takeoff speed, but the noise level approximates what residents would hear during overhead flight.
“It will be barely audible,” he stated.
DoorDash’s emphasis on quiet operation follows complaints about Amazon’s Prime Air drones, which residents say produce a persistent buzz during deliveries. The New York Times described the sound as a mosquito-like hum that intensifies as the drones near homes.
An Amazon Prime Air customer told Themoneytimes earlier this year that the noise was acceptable given the convenience.
“We’re substantially lighter than Amazon’s drone and engineered with acoustics as a foundational priority,” Shih said regarding the Times’ report. “Many of the design choices you see are specifically driven by noise reduction.”
A DoorDash representative stated the drone weighs under 55 pounds, while Amazon has indicated its drone weighs approximately 78 pounds.
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An Amazon representative did not immediately respond to a comment request sent after business hours.
Beyond being “exceptionally light,” Tang noted at the event that the propellers were engineered for slow rotation, producing sound comparable to a “passing car during drop-off.”
DoorDash states its drones will manage lightweight deliveries within three to five miles. Tang added that 80% of “typical DoorDash restaurant orders” meet the weight and size criteria for drone delivery.
The company announced Chipotle and Popeyes as its initial partners for the drone service.
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Lloyd Lee is a reporter at Themoneytimes covering frontier technologies, with a focus on how they’re being deployed in the real world and the gaps and tensions that emerge as people, companies, and regulators respond. His coverage has featured autonomous vehicles, EVs, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, and AI.Lloyd’s reporting on the progress of Alphabet’s Waymo and Tesla’s autonomous ambitions was recognized by the San Francisco Press Club with a Bay Area Journalism Award.Before joining Themoneytimes, he was a local reporter for Almanac News and Palo Alto Weekly, covering housing issues, small businesses, and notable Silicon Valley characters.Lloyd is based in San Francisco.He can be reached via email lloydlee@Themoneytimes.com, or by phone at 646-768-1630, or Signal at lloyd.71.