Waymo may also drive for DoorDash in Phoenix

Waymo has announced a brand new partnership with DoorDash that may make the corporate’s self-driving vehicles a supply choice 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 vehicles one thing to do after they’re not transporting human cargo.

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

To be able to check out a Waymo supply, you may have to put your order by means of DoorDash and “choose in to autonomous supply” throughout checkout. As soon as Waymo’s automotive arrives, very similar to DoorDash’s Dot robot, you may then need to bodily go away your private home and gather your order from the automotive’s trunk to finish the supply. A part of the comfort (and complication) of DoorDash is getting what you ordered dropped at your door. A Waymo supply would possibly flip some individuals off, because it makes that choice unattainable.

In fact, 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 had been accomplished and the place meals could possibly be ordered from. Waymo runs its personal robotaxi service in Arizona, Waymo One, however relying on the area, it is also supplied rides by means of third-party companions like Uber. Its partnerships with Uber Eats and DoorDash appear to be variations on the identical thought.

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 checks with DoorDash and Uber Eats could possibly be a sign that Waymo is concerned with pursuing deliveries on a smaller scale.