Lucid Bots Launches Power Tether, the Cleaning Drone Industry's First Ground-Powered Continuous Flight System

The launch comes as Lucid Bots' connected fleet surpasses 8,760 cumulative flight hours — the equivalent of a full year in the air

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucid Bots has announced the Power Tether, making it the first company to bring a ground-powered continuous-power system to commercial cleaning and spraying drones. The system supplies continuous external power to the Sherpa drone, reducing planned battery-change interruptions during longer cleaning and spraying operations. The announcement comes as Lucid Bots operators have recently recorded more than 8,760 cumulative flight hours; the equivalent of more than one full calendar year in the air.

Measured through telemetry data as of August 17, the milestone aggregates airborne time across 600+ Sherpa drones. It represents cumulative activity across the network, not a single continuous flight and not exclusively Power Tether-powered flight.

Conventional battery operations require the drone to land periodically so crews can swap packs, relaunch and reacquire position. The Power Tether shifts the primary power source to the ground: its air module mounts in the Sherpa drone's battery bay, while a ground station connects to a compatible generator. The result is a longer, steadier work session with fewer planned interruptions and less need to schedule the job around battery cycles.

Adoption data reflects the shift. Among customers who have logged more than an hour on the Power Tether, more than 90% of their flight time now runs on tether power, with batteries used for the remaining 10%. That split is a signal that once crews have the system on hand, they default to it for the bulk of the job.

"Those hours belong to our customers. A year in the air is a year of everyday businesses generating revenue and doing dangerous work faster and more safely," said Andrew Ashur, Founder and CEO of Lucid Bots. "Too much of robotics has lived in the promise of headlines. This is customers on job sites building real companies and creating real value. The Power Tether also ends the old battery debate that has dominated our industry. Once customers try it, the data shows they don't go back to swapping packs. Crews stay focused on the building instead of the battery clock."

— Andrew Ashur, Founder and CEO of Lucid Bots

The Power Tether installs in less than 15 minutes on compatible Sherpa drone systems. Firmware monitors power draw in real time and alerts operators as they approach operating limits. If generator power is lost, onboard battery backup supports the system's automatic landing sequence.

In a continuous-flight test at Lucid Bots headquarters, a Power Tether-equipped Sherpa drone remained airborne for eight hours and 48 seconds on one generator connection with no battery swaps.

The Power Tether is designed for commercial building-maintenance work where longer flight sessions help crews maintain job momentum, including exterior facade, window, hotel, institutional and distribution-center applications.

Product specifications, operating requirements and purchasing information are available at lucidbots.com/products/power-tether.

About Lucid Bots

Lucid Bots is a Charlotte, NC-based drone hardware company and the manufacturer of the Sherpa Drone, a purpose-built platform for exterior cleaning and protection applications. Backed by Y Combinator and $34 million in funding, Lucid Bots serves a network of 400+ operators across more than 40 states and three continents. The Sherpa Drone is designed and built in the USA and a distinct NDAA-compliant configuration is available. Learn more at lucidbots.com.

Contact: Abigail Steinberg | [email protected] 

SOURCE Lucid Bots