• Waymo, the autonomous vehicle arm of Google, has partnered with grocery chain Albertsons, to test autonomous deliveries from one of Albertsons’ Safeway supermarkets in San Francisco, California, starting early-2022. This marks the first autonomous grocery delivery service in San Francisco.

• Initially, the service will be made available to selected Waymo and Safeway employees, with plans to open up to include other customers in the future.

• Waymo is an autonomous driving technology provider that focuses on both goods and passenger transportation. “Waymo Via” is dedicated to autonomous cargo transportation, including last-mile delivery, while “Waymo One” focuses on autonomous ride-hailing services. The vehicles under both units are powered by “Waymo Driver,” its autonomous driving technology platform.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: The news comes two months after Waymo received permission from the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to start commercial operations in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. At the time, the incumbent General Motors’ Cruise received the same permission but is yet to commence commercial delivery services in the state. Meanwhile, the autonomous delivery vehicle manufacturer Nuro launched commercial operations in California today , becoming the first to do so, after receiving permission a year ago. </ul>