Skip to main content

‘Drones are more like horses than cars’ – Amazon exec talks Prime Air

We already know plenty about Amazon’s drone delivery ambitions.

We know it wants to deliver packages using autonomous UAVs, and we know it wants to make those deliveries in super-quick time. We know, too, that it recently rolled out an all-new design for its Prime Air flying machine that’s capable of carrying 5-pound parcels to customers up to 10 miles away. But what we didn’t know is that Paul Misener, Amazon’s oft-quoted spokesperson for the project, thinks “drones are more like horses than cars.”

Recommended Videos

Thankfully, Misener didn’t leave it at that, choosing instead to explain the difference during an interview he gave this week.

“If you have a small tree in your front yard, and you want to bang your car into it for some reason, you can do that. Your spouse might not be happy with you, but you can do it,” he told Yahoo. “But try riding a horse into the tree. It won’t do it. The horse will see the tree and go around it. Same way our drones will not run into trees, because they will know not to run into it.”

Effective sense-and-avoid technology is of course vital if Amazon and others are to have any hope of persuading the Federal Aviation Administration to let them send out package-carrying drones from distribution centers to waiting customers.

However, a drone incorporating even the very best sense-and-avoid technology is unlikely to be able to deal with a gun-toting thief      hoping to take it down, or, for that matter, a net-equipped copter with an operator equally keen to nab the goodies. Misener’s response? “I suppose they could shoot at trucks, too.”

He adds, “We want to make the deliveries. And we believe that these Prime Air drones will be as normal as seeing a delivery truck driving down the street someday. So the novelty will wear off.”

The Amazon exec also revealed the company’s drone team is working on not one prototype but several different ones, each with unique abilities to handle different kinds of environments, for example “hot, dry, dusty areas like Phoenix [and] hot, wet, rainy environments like Orlando, or up in the Colorado Rockies.”

Urban environments also present their own special challenges for drone delivery, so “it may take a different kind of a drone to best work in each one,” Misener told Yahoo.

Noisy?

On a point we haven’t heard so much about regarding delivery drone services, Misener was also asked if the skies won’t be really darn noisy with so many multi-rotor machines buzzing about.

The executive promised it won’t be “some science fiction, Hitchcock scenario,” describing such claims as “a bit of an exaggeration.” However, he says that its research team is looking into designs to prevent the flying machines being “loud and obnoxious and noisy,” describing it as “a really cool engineering challenge.”

When Amazon boss Jeff Bezos unveiled the very first Prime Air drone at the end of 2013, many dismissed it as a marketing gimmick.

But Misener wants skeptics to know the project is “very real.” He says the company has been expanding its Prime Air team over the last couple of years, and now includes aeronautical engineers, robotics specialists, and even a former NASA astronaut.

“These folks are completely focused on making this a reality, and demonstrating that it is safe before we begin operations,” Misener said.

It’s clear there are plenty of major challenges ahead, but who’s going to bet against a Prime Air delivery service taking to the skies in the not-too-distant future?

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more