Walmart partners with Ford and Argo Al to test its self-driving vehicle program. The company said on Wednesday that the partnership will use Ford Escape hybrids with Argo AI technology for Walmart deliveries in Miami, Columbia and Austin, Texas.
This program will have the customers of the supermarket Giant place orders of groceries and other items online for door-to-door autonomous delivery.Tom Ward, Walmart U.S. senior vice president of last-mile delivery said that they are excited to expand their autonomous delivery efforts in three new markets alongside Argo and Ford.
The senior Vice President also added that this partnership will further our mission to get products to the homes of our customers with unparalleled speed and ease, and in turn, will continue to pave the way for autonomous delivery. Ford and Walmart operated a pilot program with self-driving vehicles in 2018.The company operates self-driving delivery pilots with Gatik and General Motors-backed Cruise. In addition to the partnerships, Walmart took an undisclosed stake earlier this year in Cruise. Online grocery orders are a central part of , the big-box retailer’s membership program that launched a year ago.
This program is free, unlimited grocery deliveries to members’ homes. The subscription service competes with Amazon Prime. Its e-commerce sales in the U.S. grew 79% in the last fiscal year, which ended on Jan. 31. The supermarket giant hasn’t turned a profit with its e-commerce business, putting pressure on the company to come up with more cost-effective ways to deliver boxes and armfuls of items to doors.
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