Cruise expands Walmart autonomous delivery pilot in Arizona

Cruise, the self-driving car unit of GM, has expanded its delivery pilot with Walmart. The company will be doing limited deliveries in the area.

At a public meeting with Arizona state legislators, Cruise's senior government affairs manager said the company would expand to eight Walmarts in the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas by the end of the year.

The initial pilot with the Walmart on Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community lands began in November 2020. Walmart became an investor in Cruise in April of 2021.

The Walmart on Warner Road will have limited availability between the two stores, according to Cruise's website. Cruise didn't respond to questions about how many vehicles are included in the pilot, what Cruise means by limited availability, and whether or not Cruise still intends to use self-driving Chevy Bolt EV.

Cruise has a potential addressable market in Arizona up to a respectable number. If Cruise delivered within the bounds of the Native American lands, the population of the community would be 10,000. The pilot was allowed to drive with Cruise's audiovisuals.

Walmart customers are told that they will save money by having their orders delivered by Cruise. They need to place their Walmart order online and agree to receive text messages. If their order qualifies, they will receive a message from Cruise asking if they would like to receive their parcel from one of their vehicles.

When the vehicle is two minutes away and when it arrives, they can track their order and receive notifications. Customers meet the car at the curb and use their phone to open the rear passenger door, grab the order and then close the door.

The expansion of the self-driving delivery pilot in Arizona should bring in some much-needed revenue for Cruise as it sets out to increase both delivery and robotaxi operations.

San Francisco is where most of Cruise's operations are located. Cruise can't charge until it gets a permit from the California Public Utilities Commission.

There is a service in San Francisco from 11 pm to 5 a.m. It is not known what hours the company will be delivering orders in Arizona.

Arizona is where Cruise's main competitor operates a commercial service.

This article was updated to include populations in the cities where Cruise is delivering for Walmart, as well as some limited information from Cruise.

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