Asda uses self-driving Wayve vehicles to deliver online shopping in new trial
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Asda has launched a new home delivery trial using self-driving vehicles to deliver shopping to customers’ homes. In partnership with Wayve - a vehicle technology start-up - Asda’s year-long trial will give the supermarket the ability to autonomously deliver groceries without needing a driver.
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Hide AdDuring the 12-month trial an Asda colleague and supervising Wayve safety driver will be in the vehicle when making deliveries. Asda colleagues will load and unload the groceries at the customer’s home, but they will be transported from the store to the door in a self-driving vehicle.
Simon Gregg, senior vice president of eCommerce at Asda, said: “Asda has long understood the value of bringing tech innovation to the online grocery sector and we are always looking at new and innovative partnerships to improve delivery options for customers. We believe autonomous technology is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of delivery, not only at our Park Royal store but throughout our nationwide operation.
“Through our partnership with Wayve, we are trialling this technology to understand how it can assist our busy store operations, whilst also adding a unique, reliable and efficient option for Asda customers to have a whole range of products delivered to their doors.”
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Hide AdAsda is the UK’s second largest online supermarket, with over 20% of the market and delivers more than 800k orders every week. This is the first trial in the UK that can launch directly into commercial operations, without diverging from the operation of the store’s online delivery processes.
Meanwhile, the trial enables integration of Wayve’s automated driving technology into Asda’s daily operations. Wayve’s ‘AV2.0’ solution uses machine learning to train its AI software to learn from experience how to drive in any environment.
The high-tech software is not restricted by highly detailed maps or pre-defined routes but instead can drive anywhere in its urban domain and even to places it’s never been to before. The system is also designed to constantly monitor the road, identifying potential hazards and making the safest decisions possible.
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Hide AdAlex Kendall, Co-founder & CEO at Wayve said: “We’re excited to partner with Asda on the largest urban autonomous grocery delivery trial in Europe. The trial is a demonstration of how autonomy can meet fleet owner needs. We started developing our AV technology over five years ago: it’s incredible to see it delivering real value today as part of Asda’s daily operations.”
“We value our work with Asda to build the foundations of future autonomous grocery delivery. Trials like this one accelerate our road to deployment. They provide the learnings required to bring the benefits of AV technology to customers sooner while ensuring that businesses, like Asda, are prepared to deploy AVs at scale.”
Asda’s new home delivery trial is being rolled out to a catchment area of over 170,000 residents across 72,000 households in London. The Wayve self-driving vehicles will operate from Asda’s Park Royal superstore in West London and have the capability to drive themselves to customers’ homes.
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Hide AdAsda Park Royal customers can place their next-day delivery orders online as usual, choosing from the full range of online products and selecting a delivery slot that suits them, the only difference is they could be randomly selected to have their order delivered in a self-driving vehicle.
This autonomous grocery delivery trial is the latest development in Asda and Wayve’s partnership which began in 2021. While the Park Royal store is the first to benefit from this technology, Wayve will be able to offer autonomous delivery in further Asda locations should the trial be extended to other areas.
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