Kroger said on Tuesday that it is using autonomous vehicles to deliver groceries in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The supermarket chain will employ unmanned vehicles in collaboration with startup Nuro. A pilot for the service began in August in Scottsdale, and involved Nuro’s R1 – an unmanned vehicle that does not have a driver and is used only to transport goods. Kroger mentioned that the service would be available in Scottsdale at its unit Fry's Food Stores for $5.95 with no minimum order requirement for same-day or next-day deliveries.
Kroger’s move comes at a time when several U.S. grocery players upping the ante on delivery services. For instance, Walmart, Ford Motor and delivery service Postmates announced earlier this year that they partnering to deliver goods to Walmart customers’ doorsteps, and could even start using self-driving vehicles for the same in future.