Waymo has introduced a brand new partnership with DoorDash that may make the corporate’s self-driving vehicles a supply choice for customers in Phoenix, Arizona. You possibly can already hail a trip in Waymo’s Arizona service space, however this new partnership will give the corporate’s vehicles one thing to do after they’re not transporting human cargo.
To start out, Waymo says that deliveries can be restricted to issues you may order by DashMart, DoorDash’s storefront for comfort and grocery shops. Finally, although, deliveries will “embody extra native Phoenix retailers and a greater variety of choices.”
So as to check out a Waymo supply, you may have to put your order by DoorDash and “choose in to autonomous supply” throughout checkout. As soon as Waymo’s automotive arrives, very similar to DoorDash’s Dot robotic, you may then must bodily depart your house and accumulate your order from the automotive’s trunk to finish the supply. A part of the comfort (and complication) of DoorDash is getting what you ordered dropped at your door. A Waymo supply would possibly flip some folks off, because it makes that choice unattainable.
After all, this is not the primary time Waymo has delivered meals in Phoenix. In 2024 the corporate partnered with Uber Eats for the same program, with comparable limitations round how deliveries have been accomplished and the place meals might be ordered from. Waymo runs its personal robotaxi service in Arizona, Waymo One, however relying on the area, it is also provided rides by third-party companions like Uber. Its partnerships with Uber Eats and DoorDash seem to be variations on the identical concept.
In 2020, Waymo was exploring utilizing self-driving long-haul vehicles for deliveries. The corporate deserted these plans in 2023 to prioritize robotaxis and the Waymo Driver software program, however these checks with DoorDash and Uber Eats might be a sign that Waymo is concerned about pursuing deliveries on a smaller scale.
