Kroger and Nuro announce self-driving grocery delivery pilot
US retailer Kroger is teaming with robotics venture Nuro to test driverless next and same day grocery delivery at a Fry's Food Store in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Kroger Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset says: "We want to bring more customers the convenience of affordable grocery delivery, and our pilot with Nuro will help us test and learn to understand customer acceptance of autonomous vehicles in our seamless offering.”
"Arizona is home to some of the most innovative autonomous vehicle testing," adds Nuro Co-Founder Dave Ferguson. "We're proud to contribute and turn our vision for local commerce into a real, accessible service that residents of Scottsdale can use immediately. Our goal is to save people time, while operating safely and learning how we can further improve the experience."
Nuro will begin the pilot using its self-driving Toyota Prius fleet and will introduce its custom R1 vehicle this autumn. Delivery from the Fry's store will cost $5.95 with no minimum order. It will only be available at addresses within the store's zip code of 85257.
Last month, Alphabet’s Waymo announced a trial in which its self-driving cars would ferry shoppers to and from a Walmart store in Phoenix, Arizona to pick up their groceries.