Waymo will even drive for DoorDash in Phoenix

Waymo has announced a brand new partnership with DoorDash that can make the corporate’s self-driving automobiles a supply possibility for customers in Phoenix, Arizona. You may already hail a ride in Waymo’s Arizona service space, however this new partnership will give the corporate’s automobiles one thing to do once they’re not transporting human cargo.

To begin, Waymo says that deliveries shall be restricted to issues you possibly can order by DashMart, DoorDash’s storefront for comfort and grocery shops. Ultimately, although, deliveries will “embrace extra native Phoenix retailers and a greater variety of choices.”

With a purpose 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 automobile arrives, very similar to DoorDash’s Dot robot, you may then must bodily go away your property and gather your order from the automobile’s trunk to finish the supply. A part of the comfort (and complication) of DoorDash is getting what you ordered delivered to your door. A Waymo supply may flip some folks off, because it makes that possibility unimaginable.

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 may very well 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 trucks for deliveries. The corporate abandoned those plans in 2023 to prioritize robotaxis and the Waymo Driver software program, however these exams with DoorDash and Uber Eats may very well be a sign that Waymo is curious about pursuing deliveries on a smaller scale.