Your future food delivery may arrive in the trunk of a self-driving car.
On Thursday, Waymo, the driverless arm of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced it’s teaming up with DoorDash to dispatch meal and grocery orders. The partnership is kicking off in Phoenix “in the coming months,” according to a company blog post. The service will be available across the 315 square miles in which Waymo’s vehicles already drive in the area.
Waymo’s self-driving operation takes place aboard the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace. Rides are available to the general public in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Austin, Texas, with several expansions on the way.
Depending on the city, the vehicles can be summoned via the Waymo app or Uber. Waymo is also launching a partnership with Lyft in Nashville in the coming months.
Watch this: Testing Waymo’s Safe Exit Feature in a Self-Driving Taxi
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“The Waymo Driver has already logged over 100 million autonomous miles on public roads and served over 10 million trips,” the blog post noted. “By providing a reliable and efficient delivery option, Waymo is offering another way for people to integrate the benefits of this technology into their daily routines.”
DoorDash has also been exploring new ways to deliver orders autonomously. Last month, it debuted its delivery robot named Dot, which can drive up to 20 mph and navigate roads, bike lanes and sidewalks. That service is also launching in the Phoenix metro area, with plans to expand to other cities.
How Waymo deliveries with DoorDash work
To allow DoorDash deliveries via Waymo, you’ll need to opt into autonomous vehicle delivery when checking out on DoorDash. From there, you might be matched with a Waymo vehicle.
When the Waymo car arrives, you can open the trunk through the DoorDash app and take your items.
This delivery method means you’ll have to forfeit the convenience of someone bringing your order right to your doorstep, which could be a drawback, especially for people with limited mobility.
To start, Waymo will deliver orders from DashMart, the convenience and grocery stores owned and operated by DoorDash. The companies plan to expand to more local retailers over time.
