Fleet-Size Estimate for Delivering FedEx's Entire US Package Volume by Drone

Estimate how many drones FedEx would need if every package it delivers in the United States were delivered by drone instead. State the scope you choose, lay out your equation, give each assumption a round number, do the arithmetic, and check whether your final number is plausible. ```hint Size one drone's day first Work out how many deliveries a single drone can complete in a working day, including everything that keeps it on the ground, before you divide the package volume by it. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the fleet cover an average day's volume or the holiday peak? - Do drones fly only the last leg from a local facility to the doorstep, or also move packages between cities? - "Every package" includes heavy and bulky items that most delivery drones cannot lift. Should those be included using larger drones, or set aside? - Can a drone carry more than one package per flight, and must deliveries happen within set hours of the day? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Scope choices stated up front: US volume only, last leg or full network, average day or peak, and which packages count. - A per-drone capacity estimate built from flight distance, speed, time on the ground, batteries and working hours, with a utilization factor. - Treatment of package weight and size, since one drone class cannot carry everything. - Spares and peak buffers, correct arithmetic, and a sanity check against how many deliveries a human-driven route handles today. ### Follow-up Questions - How would the fleet size change if each drone launched from a delivery van parked in the neighborhood instead of from a fixed facility? - Suppose regulations allowed drone deliveries only in suburban and rural areas. How would that change your estimate and the rollout plan? - Which input would you measure first in a pilot, and why?