Walmart starts pilot with autonomous delivery trucks. The US retailer is delivering orders in Houston, Texas with cars from autonomous vehicle company Nuro.
A select group of Walmart customers in Houston will get a driverless car at their door in the coming months, with deliveries being made by the R2, the delivery vehicle from startup Nuro. The R2 will only accommodate products, not drivers or passengers. Nuro's software will also be installed in Toyota Prius cars, which can then deliver groceries autonomously.
With the pilot, Walmart says it wants to investigate how it can deliver customers in the best possible way. "By continuing to test autonomous vehicles, we are better able to understand how self-driving technology can help us along the way," it said.
Delivering groceries
The retailer sells all kinds of products online - from electronics to clothing - but has recently focused mainly on delivering groceries. Walmart now does so from more than 1,600 stores, with some 50,000 employees taking care of packing the orders. Walmart has about 3,100 pick-up points in the United States. For home delivery, it is looking at autonomous vehicles. "We believe this technology is a natural extension of our pick-up and delivery service and fits with our goal of making every day a little easier for customers."
Kroger and Domino's
Walmart is not the only company using Nuro's cars for autonomous delivery. Supermarket Kroger and pizza chain Domino's will also use the R2 for home delivery next year.
