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Kroger and rival Walmart Inc <WMT.N> each have teamed up with
autonomous vehicle companies in a bid to lower the high-cost of
"last-mile" deliveries to customer doorsteps, as online retailer
Amazon.com <AMZN.O> rolls out free Whole Foods delivery for
subscribers to its Prime perks program.
"Kroger wants to bring more customers the convenience of
affordable grocery delivery," said Kroger Chief Digital Officer
Yael Cosset, who added that the test will also gauge consumer
demand for the service.
The first phase of the test will use a fleet of Toyota Prius
cars equipped with Nuro technology. Those cars have seats for
humans who can override autonomous systems in the event of an
error or emergency. Nuro's R1 driverless delivery van, which has
no seats, will begin testing this autumn, the companies said.
"While we compete final certification and testing of the R1, the
Prius will be delivering groceries and helping us improve the
overall service," a Nuro spokeswoman said.
Self-driving car delivery from the Fry's store will cost $5.95
with no minimum order. It is only available at addresses within
the store's zip code of 85257, Kroger said.
Walmart and Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> self-driving car company
Waymo are partnering to test a service that shuttles Phoenix
shoppers to stores to collect online grocery orders.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba
O'Brien)
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