Walmart Partners with Ford and Argo for Autonomous Delivery Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] U.S. retail giant Walmart is partnering with automaker Ford and autonomous driving technology company Argo AI to launch an autonomous delivery experiment.

According to CNBC on the 15th (local time), the three companies announced that they will start autonomous vehicle delivery pilot services in three cities: Miami, Florida; Austin, Texas; and Washington, D.C.

The pilot service will deploy Ford Escape Hybrid vehicles equipped with Argo's AI autonomous driving system.

When consumers order groceries, household goods, and other items from Walmart online, Ford vehicles equipped with Argo AI's autonomous driving system will deliver the ordered products to their homes on the same day or the next day.

Brian Salesky, founder and CEO of Argo, said, "We are focusing on testing and developing autonomous driving technology that operates in urban areas with high customer demand," adding, "We will demonstrate the potential of autonomous vehicle delivery services in collaboration with Walmart and Ford in the three regions."

The three companies plan to add more service cities in the future and expand to commercial services. An integrated pilot service across the U.S. is scheduled to begin by the end of this year.

This autonomous delivery service brings together a major retailer, an automaker, and a startup technology company.

Tom Ward, Senior Vice President of Walmart's Delivery Division, said, "This collaboration will lead our mission to deliver products to customers' homes with unmatched speed and convenience."

Ford stated, "We are at an important stage in expanding delivery services using commercial autonomous vehicles."

All pilot services will be conducted with a driver on board.

Walmart previously conducted a pilot project for grocery and household goods delivery in Miami, where Ford's autonomous vehicle test drives have been underway since 2018.

Foreign media reported that this autonomous delivery service was launched as Walmart aims to expand its online market share amid competitors like Amazon and Target expanding same-day delivery services.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.