Elroy Air’s autonomous hybrid aircraft can pick up cargo containers on its own
techcrunch.com
techcrunch.com
No one expects a prototype to carry the full load, but it looks like it can't even get itself airborne at this stage...
It takes off vertically on electric props and transitions to horizontal winged flight driven by a fuel-powered prop. That's how they get reasonable range. Several other big drones use that approach, and it seems to work.
We may see full-sized aircraft which work like that. NASA has been fooling around with electric VTOL takeoff and transition to winged horizontal flight. Most aircraft which do that transition are mechanical nightmares, like the Osprey. It's starting to look like having a separate VTOL electrical propulsion system can compete with mechanical transition VTOL. It's certainly simpler.
The V-22 Osprey is ideal for getting you to a trauma center. It could pick you up from the highway, just like a helicopter, but then it has the speed and range to get you where you need to be before it is too late.