Walmart is poised to launch another pilot grocery delivery service using self-driving vans, having teamed up with specialist start-up, Udelv.
It follows a deal the retail giant signed with car manufacturer Ford in November last year to explore delivery with autonomous vehicle technology (AVT). Tests are taking place in Miami, Florida. On-demand delivery network, Postmates and the Domino's pizza restaurant chain, are also participating with Ford on AVT.
Walmart also has a pilot project with Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving car project, in Chandler, Arizona, where customers place orders online for pick up and self-driving vans shuttle them to and from the store to collect their shopping.
“Over the last few years we’ve been working hard to bring Grocery Pickup and Delivery to more and more customers across the country for one reason: Customers love it! It makes shopping easy and saves loads of time,” explained Tom Ward, senior vice president, Digital Operations, Walmart US, in a company blog.
“But, we’re not stopping with simply rolling out the service to more stores. We continue to explore new ways that can make what’s easy today even easier tomorrow. That includes testing a number of things, including autonomous vehicle technology – and today, we’re announcing a new pilot with autonomous vehicle company, Udelv.”
Ward said this will take place in Surprise, Arizona and that Udelv will utilize a cargo van custom-made to deliver fresh groceries – hand-picked by Walmart's personal shoppers to customers. According to reports in the US media, the pilot is set to begin either later this month or in February.
Udelv will use modified Ford Transit Connect vans that can carry orders for more than 30 customers. The company will deploy one vehicle that will serve a 7.5-mile radius around the store, and a safety driver will assist customers in unloading the items.
Walmart's Ward added: “We’re still learning – it’s a pilot – but, we want to make sure we stay on the cutting edge of grocery delivery by exploring what’s new and next. For example, we recently explored a few pilot projects with other self-driving car companies to start understanding how customers will want to use the technology when it comes to their grocery shopping.
“We’ve said it before: There’s no telling what innovation the future will bring. But, Walmart is committed to staying on the forefront of change to make getting groceries simple, quick, and easy.”
At last week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Udelv unveiled its 'second generation' Autonomous Delivery Van (ADV), 'The Newton,' which it described as the most advanced in the field and followed “months of close collaboration” between the company and Chinese tech firm, Baidu, which specialises in Internet-related services and products and artificial intelligence.
Udelv said that its 'first generation' ADV model, had demonstrated “impressive results”, having successfully completed over 1,200 deliveries in the San Francisco Bay Area for multiple clients.
It underlined the particularly strong uptake in the food and grocery delivery sector, having attracted partnerships with the likes of San Francisco online grocer Farmstead, not-for-profit meal delivery organization Second Harvest Food Bank and Bay Area-based Draeger’s Market.
Udelv CEO Daniel Laury commented: “To date, with its automated cargo van, Udelv has proven its capacity to successfully address the delivery market in the United States in both the last and middle-mile segments. We’re the world’s most advanced autonomous delivery company on public roads and America’s top retailers trust us to deliver convenience and savings to their customers. This confidence is a massive driver of business from investors and partners internationally, and is being demonstrated with our most recent collaborations,” he said.
Up to 100 Udelv ADVs will be deployed throughout 2019 for customers who have ordered the vehicles. Pre-orders are now open for 2020, the company added.
