7-Eleven, Inc. is piloting autonomous delivery in California with robotics company Nuro.
The companies are launching the first autonomous commercial delivery in Mountain View, enabling customers in the service area to order through the 7NOW delivery app to have their products delivered via bot.
"Our first foray into autonomous delivery was in 2016 when 7-Eleven became the first retailer in the U.S. to make a drone delivery to a customer's house,” said Raghu Mahadevan, 7-Eleven chief digital officer, in a statement. “Since then, we haven't stopped looking for ways to redefine convenience for our customers inside and outside the four walls of our stores. Fast forward to 2021, and we are pushing the boundaries of innovation even further to provide customers with the first commercial autonomous delivery service in California."
Customers in Mountain View, California, can schedule delivery by downloading the 7NOW delivery app and choosing autonomous delivery during the checkout process. Autonomous vehicle deliveries are available daily from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. PST at no additional charge. The app will send updates as the order is processed, and orders will arrive in approximately 30 minutes. Customers then meet the vehicle outside and take the order from the back of the vehicle.
Nuro will begin this delivery service with its autonomous Priuses and later introduce R2 bots, the company's autonomous robots that are custom-built to transport products and goods without any occupants in the vehicle. All Priuses will include an autonomous vehicle operator in the driver seat to monitor the technology and ensure an optimal delivery experience.
Related: Walmart Launches Drone Delivery Hubs; Starbucks Pickup With Amazon Go Debuts.