Asda launches self-driving grocery delivery trial

Customers ordering their shopping from the Park Royal superstore will have it delivered in self-driving vans

Asda customers ordering their shopping from a store in west London will have it delivered in a self-driving vehicle as part of a new trial.

Goods ordered online from the Park Royal superstore will be delivered in an autonomous vehicle, although a staff member and safety driver will also be in the van.

The year-long trial covers a catchment area of 72,000 households, making it what is believed to be the largest of its kind in the UK.

Asda said the trial would help it understand how the technology "can assist our busy store operations".

'Future of delivery'

The trial is taking place with autonomous vehicle start-up Wayve.

Shop staff will load and unload the groceries at the customer's home, but will be transported "from store to the door" in a self-driving vehicle along with a Wayve driver.

Simon Gregg, senior vice president of eCommerce at Asda, said: "We believe autonomous technology is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of delivery, not only at our Park Royal store but throughout our nationwide operation.

"Through our partnership with Wayve, we are trialling this technology to understand how it can assist our busy store operations."

Wayve said its autonomous vehicle technology uses machine learning to train its AI software to discover how to drive in any environment, including places where vehicles have not been before.

The company claims the system constantly monitors the road, identifying potential hazards so that it makes "the safest decisions possible".

Alex Kendall, co-founder and chief executive at Wayve, said the firm had "started developing our AV technology over five years ago".

"Trials like this one accelerate our road to deployment. They provide the learnings required to bring the benefits of AV technology to customers sooner."

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