Walmart to test driverless grocery delivery in one Phoenix suburb
Jan 10, 2019, 4:23 AM | Updated: 6:02 am
PHOENIX – Walmart announced Tuesday it would test the waters of grocery delivery via autonomous vehicles with a pilot program in one Phoenix suburb.
The retail giant said in a press release it is teaming up with California company udelv for the program in the West Valley city of Surprise.
The release didn’t provide details about the program’s service area or when it would begin.
Udelv has been delivering groceries with its custom-made autonomous cargo vans in the Bay Area for the past year.
— udelv (@udelv_av) January 9, 2019
Shoppers in the service area of the Surprise program will be able to make online orders for their groceries, which will be collected in the store by personal shoppers.
The groceries will then be delivered by the udelv vans, which can be opened using a cellphone app.
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Some Walmart locations already offer a service that allows customers to order online and either pick up their groceries outside the store or have them delivered by a driver.
Last year, Walmart tested a program to shuttle customers to its Chandler stores in Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.
Another major national grocery chain, Kroger, started testing driverless grocery delivery at one store in Scottsdale last year.
