(Yicai Global) Sept. 25 -- Ele.me, the online meal delivery platform backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA], debuted its food delivery drone at the recent World Unmanned Systems Conference, and Chinese consumers could soon have their meals delivered by unmanned aerial vehicles, online media outlet TechWeb reported.

The drone, a third-generation product developed by Ele.me, is called E7. The vehicle has been deemed fit for use in a number of core aspects and can reach a top speed of 65 kilometers per hour, with a range of 20 kilometers and maximum load of six kilograms.

Its food box is designed with specially-made materials, so despite having a 20-liter capacity, it only weights 485 grams, making it the lightest drone of its kind.

The UAV has been tested thousands of times so far and has successively made breakthroughs in key areas, such as transport functions, flight and load performance, environmental adaptability and electromagnetic compatibility, the report said.