Delivery Vehicles Should Be Fully-Electric Not 'Self-Driving' - Jalopnik
Waymo, the autonomous arm of Alphabet, which owns Google, said yesterday it was partnering with UPS to deploy an unannounced number of “self-driving” hybrid Chrysler Pacificas to deliver packages as part of a small-scale initiative in Arizona. The better news yesterday was that UPS was ordering 10,000 electric delivery trucks.
The UPS-Waymo tie-up, you could argue, is a bigger deal for Waymo than it is for UPS, since it provides Waymo with a fruitful new testing ground for its autonomous technologies. UPS, meanwhile, can see if the experiment goes anywhere without having a ton of skin in the game. There weren’t a whole lot of details released, but the cars will still include safety drivers.
The long-term play here—to eliminate drivers altogether—is kind of a bummer, but I’m pretty sure that reality is at least a decade away, if not longer, since this experiment will only shuttle packages from UPS Stores in greater Phoenix to a distribution hub in Tempe. The last mile of delivery—to one’s doorstep—still requires a human, as grim as that job may be in the Gig Economy.
Waymo, the autonomous arm of Alphabet, which owns Google, said yesterday it was partnering with UPS to deploy an unannounced number of “self-driving” hybrid Chrysler Pacificas to deliver packages as part of a small-scale initiative in Arizona. The better news yesterday was that UPS was ordering 10,000 electric delivery trucks.
The UPS-Waymo tie-up, you could argue, is a bigger deal for Waymo than it is for UPS, since it provides Waymo with a fruitful new testing ground for its autonomous technologies. UPS, meanwhile, can see if the experiment goes anywhere without having a ton of skin in the game. There weren’t a whole lot of details released, but the cars will still include safety drivers.
The long-term play here—to eliminate drivers altogether—is kind of a bummer, but I’m pretty sure that reality is at least a decade away, if not longer, since this experiment will only shuttle packages from UPS Stores in greater Phoenix to a distribution hub in Tempe. The last mile of delivery—to one’s doorstep—still requires a human, as grim as that job may be in the Gig Economy.
