|
Walmart shoppers in Phoenix metropolitan area can order
groceries on Walmart.com and as their order is being prepared at
the store, self-driving cars will transport them to the store
and bring them back, Waymo said.
Waymo has also teamed up with U.S. shopping center owner DDR
Corp to offer shoppers and diners rides in its self-driving
vehicles to and from the Ahwatukee Foothills Towne Center in
Chandler, Arizona.
Additionally, Waymo has expanded its existing partnerships with
AutoNation Inc and Avis Budget Group Inc in Phoenix. AutoNation
will offer customers a Waymo, rather than a loaner car, to get
around while their personal vehicles get serviced.
Avis Budget Group, which keeps Waymo vehicles charged and
refueled for an upcoming ride, will provide its customers these
self-driving vehicles as a last-mile solution to help them pick
up or drop off their rental cars.
Having worked on self-driving cars since 2009 and with 5 million
miles (8 million km) driven on public roads under its belt,
Waymo is generally considered to be ahead of rivals in the
development of autonomous vehicle technology.
Global automakers, suppliers and tech companies like Waymo and
Uber Technologies Inc are pouring resources into the development
of autonomous driving systems and launching networks of test
fleets aimed at pushing the technology forward.
The complex challenges of self-driving and the high costs of
research and development has led to a host of partnerships
between automakers, suppliers and others.
(Reporting by Rishika Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by
Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
