Click to Enlarge.
Ford Motor Company, Argo AI and Walmart are starting an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. This is Walmart’s first multi-city autonomous delivery collaboration in the U.S. The so-called last mile delivery service will use Ford self-driving test vehicles equipped with the Argo AI Self-Driving System to deliver Walmart orders. (Volkswagen Joins Ford by Investing in Argo AI; Milestones: Volkswagen Completes Promised Argo AI Funding; Volkswagen, Argo AI to Start Autonomous Driving Tests; Argo AI, Ford to Launch Self-Driving Vehicles on Lyft Network; CARB Fines Walmart for Selling Harmful Hair Spray)
The deal blends a self-driving technology provider with an automotive manufacturer able to integrate that technology with mass-produced vehicles and the world’s largest retailer. The multi-city service will enable Walmart customers to place orders of groceries and other popular items online for door-to-door autonomous delivery directly to customers’ homes.
The commercial service will be available to Walmart customers within defined areas of the three markets and will expand over time, with initial integration testing slated to begin later during 2021. Ford says that as consumer expectations continue to shift to next-day or same-day delivery, especially in the urban core where there is a higher concentration of deliveries, this collaboration will drive key learnings in how autonomous technology can enhance customer experiences, while also optimizing logistics and operations.
In addition to testing self-driving technology in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Palo Alto, Calif., Argo and Ford have been operating in Miami and Washington, D.C., since 2018 and in Austin since 2019, on autonomous ride-hailing and delivery services to create the necessary real estate footprint and commercial fleet management capabilities, including fueling, servicing, and cleaning of self-driving vehicles. Walmart previously tested with Ford in Miami in 2018.
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) claims to help people save money and live better in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, 220 million customers and members visit ~10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2021 revenue of $559 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million people worldwide.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Ford, Argo AI, Walmart to Launch Autonomous Vehicle Delivery
Click to Enlarge.
Ford Motor Company, Argo AI and Walmart are starting an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C. This is Walmart’s first multi-city autonomous delivery collaboration in the U.S. The so-called last mile delivery service will use Ford self-driving test vehicles equipped with the Argo AI Self-Driving System to deliver Walmart orders. (Volkswagen Joins Ford by Investing in Argo AI; Milestones: Volkswagen Completes Promised Argo AI Funding; Volkswagen, Argo AI to Start Autonomous Driving Tests; Argo AI, Ford to Launch Self-Driving Vehicles on Lyft Network; CARB Fines Walmart for Selling Harmful Hair Spray)
The deal blends a self-driving technology provider with an automotive manufacturer able to integrate that technology with mass-produced vehicles and the world’s largest retailer. The multi-city service will enable Walmart customers to place orders of groceries and other popular items online for door-to-door autonomous delivery directly to customers’ homes.
The commercial service will be available to Walmart customers within defined areas of the three markets and will expand over time, with initial integration testing slated to begin later during 2021. Ford says that as consumer expectations continue to shift to next-day or same-day delivery, especially in the urban core where there is a higher concentration of deliveries, this collaboration will drive key learnings in how autonomous technology can enhance customer experiences, while also optimizing logistics and operations.
In addition to testing self-driving technology in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Palo Alto, Calif., Argo and Ford have been operating in Miami and Washington, D.C., since 2018 and in Austin since 2019, on autonomous ride-hailing and delivery services to create the necessary real estate footprint and commercial fleet management capabilities, including fueling, servicing, and cleaning of self-driving vehicles. Walmart previously tested with Ford in Miami in 2018.
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) claims to help people save money and live better in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, 220 million customers and members visit ~10,500 stores and clubs under 48 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2021 revenue of $559 billion, Walmart employs 2.2 million people worldwide.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.