Walmart is to invest in Cruise, the GM majority-owned autonomous vehicle technology company. It’s another example of a retailer looking to increase its presence in future mobility/delivery logistics.
Walmart’s US chief executive officer, John Furner, said in a blog post his company has been ‘doing a lot to learn more about the role autonomous vehicles can play in retail, and we’ve seen enough to know it’s no longer a question of if they’ll be scaled, but when’.
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He also said the investment (sum not disclosed) ‘will aid our work toward developing a last mile delivery ecosystem that’s fast, low-cost and scalable’.
Walmart began working with Cruise in November of last year developing a delivery pilot in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“We’ve been impressed with Cruise’s differentiated business model, unique technology and unmatched driverless testing. We also value our shared commitment to a zero emissions future,” Furner said in the post.
Walmart is targeting zero emissions by 2040 and has set a goal to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2035, but also “throughout the supply chain and our environmental initiative, Project Gigaton, one of the largest private sector consortiums for climate action,” Furner said.
“We’re excited to join Cruise’s already impressive partner and investor ecosystem with the likes of GM, Honda and Microsoft as we work toward pioneering this emerging technology,” he added.
