Walmart is expanding its autonomous vehicle pilot with Gatik. Last year, it began operating the two-mile route between a dark store and a Neighborhood Market store in Bentonville, Arkansas, driverless. This was the first ever driverless operation carried out on the supply chain middle mile for both Gatik and Walmart.
Now, Walmart will begin operating a 20-mile route between New Orleans and Metairie, Louisiana, delivering items from a Supercenter to a Walmart pickup point, a designated location where customers can pick up their orders. These autonomous vehicles will initially operate with a safety driver.
“With 90 percent of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart, a closer store isn’t always the answer,” said Tom Ward, SVP of customer product at Walmart U.S., in a statement. “Perhaps it’s just a pickup location, with an autonomous vehicle making deliveries on a constant loop. Our trials with Gatik are just two of many use cases we’re testing with autonomous vehicles, and we’re excited to continue learning how we might incorporate them in a delivery ecosystem.”
Related: Walmart Removes Shipping Minimum for Free Delivery; Walmart Partners With Self-Driving Car Company.
Image: Walmart
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