Walmart will begin offering autonomous deliveries in three U.S. cities thanks to a new partnership with Ford and self-driving tech company Argo AI.
The pilot program will kick off later this year in Austin, Miami, and Washington D.C., starting first in “defined service areas” and expanding over time. Customers will be able to place an order using Walmart’s online ordering system and if the product is being sent to a home in one of the cities’ service areas, an Argo-programmed Ford may be sent out for delivery.
Ford says that this collaboration will help drive industry knowledge of how autonomous vehicles can optimize delivery logistics. Walmart can evaluate how these technologies can improve consumer experiences, specifically by meeting the expectation of next-day and even same-day delivery—a step that could one day bring the retailer to Amazon’s level.
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