H-E-B to Test Driverless Delivery Service in Texas
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Texas retailer H-E-B will be implementing a self-driving vehicle for delivery service in San Antonio this year.
H-E-B will use one autonomous van with driverless technology to serve customers near Olmos Park for a store location just north of downtown, according to an article from the store.
The article noted that the driverless vehicle will have climate-controlled compartments capable of holding multiple orders of fresh, frozen and dry goods. The van will be sourced from Udelv, a California company that creates autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs).
We're excited to share today that later this year, we will launch a pilot program to test delivery service from a vehicle with self-driving technology. https://t.co/zwhFnscwjc — H-E-B (@HEB) July 10, 2019
“Companies like H-E-B are taking the first steps to explore the benefits autonomous deliveries can bring to their customers and employees,” Udelv CEO Daniel Laury said. “As the most loved retailer in Texas, H-E-B is an amazing partner for Udelv as we scale our Autodeliv service and work to make deliveries faster and safer. We look forward to serving the people of Texas with Newton, our second-generation ADV.”
The vehicle will have to be driven first so it can learn all the routes, the article listed. Only select customers can sign up for deliveries from the van during the testing period.
H-E-B President Craig Boyan said this experience could make for more engaging stores and that it gives the retailer an opportunity to hire more people with skills to make them a better tech retailer.
According to H-E-B, the trial is part of an effort to integrate more options into its digital lineup of technology services such as H-E-B Curbside and H-E-B Home Delivery.
