Supermarket chain Asda has launched the UK's largest self-driving home delivery trial in collaboration with autonomous vehicle tech start-up Wayve around London.
The year-long trial, which went live this April, will give the supermarket the ability to autonomously deliver groceries to 72,000 households around London, fulfilling orders from randomly selected customers who have shopped online using the next-day deliver service.
During the 12-month trial, both 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 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."
Wayve are pioneering an AI-centric approach to self-driving, inspired by our vision of a smarter, safer and more sustainable world. Their partnership with the supermarket chain, now two-years to the good, aims to lead the way on developing a self-driving vehicle solution for the grocery market.