- General
- December 18, 2018
- 5 minutes read
Kroger and Nuro Launch Autonomous Delivery Service in Arizona
image : Nuro Kroger and self-driving startup Nuro have kicked off a self-driving delivery service in Scottsdale, Arizona after extensive testing…
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| image : Nuro |
Kroger and self-driving startup Nuro have kicked off a self-driving delivery service in Scottsdale, Arizona after extensive testing which Kroger says has seen nearly one thousand autonomous deliveries completed so far. A pilot program began this August and has now graduated to a service available to the general public.
Deliveries were made in an autonomous Prius fleet accompanied by vehicle operators during testing. Now, Nuro’s custom unmanned vehicle known as the R1 will be used for this purpose. The R1 has no driver, no passengers and is only used to transport goods via public roads. Development of the R1 began two years ago with a Kroger partnership announced this year June.
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| image : Nuro |
“Nuro envisions a world without errands, where everything is on-demand and can be delivered affordably. Operating a delivery service using our custom unmanned vehicles is an important first step toward that goal,” Nuro President and co-founder Dave Ferguson explained.
“Kroger customers are looking for new, convenient ways to feed their families and purchase the products they need quickly through services like pickup and delivery,” Kroger’s chief digital officer Yael Cosset also said.
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| Nuro co-founders Dave Ferguson (left) and Jiajun Zhu
image : Nuro
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“Our autonomous delivery pilot with Nuro over the past few months continues to prove the benefit of the flexible and reliable technology. Through this exciting and innovative partnership, we are delivering a great customer experience and advancing Kroger’s commitment to redefine the grocery experience by creating an ecosystem that offers our customers anything, anytime, and anywhere.”
Delivery is starting from a single location – the Fry’s Food Stores at 7770 East McDowell Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257. Customers can shop via frysfood.com or the Fry’s Food Stores mobile app and place their orders based on slot availability. Orders are either scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery by Nuro’s self-driving fleet for a $5.95 flat fee. Delivery is available seven days a week.
