The Kroger Co. and Nuro have launched what they say is the first-ever unmanned delivery service available to the general public in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Since August, the companies have operated a self-driving grocery delivery service in Scottsdale with an autonomous Prius fleet accompanied by vehicle operators. The autonomous vehicles have completed nearly 1,000 deliveries to the public.
With today’s launch, the fleet is expanding to include Nuro’s custom unmanned vehicle known as the R1. The R1 travels on public roads and has no driver, no passengers and only transports goods. Nuro has been developing the R1 since 2016 and announced its partnership with Kroger in June.
Unmanned delivery is available from the Fry’s Food Store located at 7770 East McDowell Road. Customers can place delivery orders immediately, and delivery will be available 7 days a week. Customers shop via frysfood.com or the Fry’s Food Stores mobile app and place their order based on slot availability. Grocery orders can be scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery by Nuro’s fleet of self-driving vehicles. The fee for this service is a flat $5.95 with no minimum order.
“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,” said Dave Ferguson, Nuro’s president and co-founder.
“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,” said Yael Cosset, Kroger’s chief digital officer. “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.”
Kroger says it experienced 60 percent digital sales growth in the third quarter, and its coverage area now reaches more than 90 percent of customer households.
Keep reading:
So the elderly and disabled who are becoming more dependent on home delivery would have to go out to the robot and get their own groceries and haul them back into the house? Most are using home delivery because they cannot leave their homes. Another brilliant Corporate idea…