The Need for a Life Cycle Assessment of Drone-Based Commercial Package Delivery
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Commercial freight drones are currently illegal in the U.S. Consequently, commercial interests such as Amazon, Inc. will be lobbying for new regulatory allowances in the coming years. The Federal Aviation Administration and other government entities must balance safety and other public interests against the potential commercial benefits of UAV freight. Controversy over commercial UAV’s has so far centered on the privacy implications of the devices, which are significant. However, no assessment has yet been made of the energy and environmental implications of widespread UAV-based delivery. Such an accounting of environmental impacts would inform current regulatory discussions about whether and how much commercial drone traffic should be permitted.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48; AC52-07NA27344
- OSTI ID:
- 1129145
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL--TR-652316
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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