Ford, Argo AI, and Walmart collaborate on autonomous vehicle delivery service

Ford Motor Company has been working with Argo AI and Walmart to work on an autonomous vehicle delivery service in the United States. The idea is to use Ford’s self-driving test vehicles equipped with the Argo AI Self-Driving System to deliver Walmart orders to customers.

“Argo and Ford are aggressively preparing for large-scale autonomous vehicle operations across a broad footprint of US cities. Pairing Walmart’s retail and e-commerce leadership with Argo and Ford’s self-driving operations across these multiple cities marks a significant step toward scaling a commercial goods delivery service that will ultimately power first-to-scale business efficiencies and enable a great consumer experience,” said Ford Autonomous Vehicles & Mobility Businesses CEO Scott Griffith.

This collaboration will see Ford and Argo become a self-driving technology provider with an automotive manufacturer. Walmart will adopt this technology, allowing one of America’s largest retail companies to meet growing consumer expectations and offer comprehensive delivery services.

The multi-city service will enable Walmart customers to place orders of groceries and other popular items online for door-to-door autonomous delivery directly to customers’ homes.

“We're excited to expand our autonomous delivery efforts in three new markets alongside Argo and Ford. This collaboration will further our mission to get products to the homes of our customers with unparalleled speed and ease, and in turn, will continue to pave the way for autonomous delivery,” said Walmart U.S. Senior VP of Last-Mile Delivery, Tom Ward.

While this commercial service will initially be made available to Walmart customers in Miami, Austin, and Washington DC, the companies involved in this initiative expressed their plans to expand their operations over time.

According to Ford, initial integration testing is slated to begin later this year.

“Our focus on the testing and development of self-driving technology that operates in urban areas where customer demand is high really comes to life with this collaboration. Working together with Walmart and Ford across three markets, we’re showing the potential for autonomous vehicle delivery services at scale,” said Argo AI Founder and CEO Bryan Salesky.

Photos from Ford

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