Walmart Adds All-Electric Vehicles To Its Fleet For Greener Deliveries
Despite the incredible convenience of same-day deliveries, sometimes one can’t help but feel a tinge of guilt that they’re contributing to pollution emissions by choosing to have items sent straight to their doors.
To address this concern, and keep up with demand while moving towards a more sustainable system, Walmart has announced that it’s adding 4,500 all-electric vehicles (EVs) to its delivery fleet, in partnership with advanced mobility firm Canoo.
Dubbed the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicles (LDVs), the American-made EVs are optimized to make last-mile deliveries more sustainable, having been built for frequent stop-and-go journeys on delivery routes.
As per the press release, the LDV comprises a proprietary multipurpose platform (MPP) architecture that integrates a series of motors, battery models, and other components into an automobile featuring customized cabin and cargo space.
Plus, by using “true steer by wire technology,” the vehicle’s moving parts and cabin intrusions are reduced, hence allowing for a more comfortable drive with larger interior space, better ergonomics, and a specially-designed panoramic video that improves road visibility.
The vehicles will be used to transport and deliver Walmart’s online orders, including groceries and merchandise, and could eventually be expanded for Walmart GoLocal, the chain’s on-demand delivery service.
“Our LDV has the turning radius of a small passenger vehicle on a parking friendly, compact footprint, yet the payload and cargo space of a commercial delivery vehicle. This is the winning algorithm to seriously compete in the last mile delivery race, globally,” remarked Tony Aquila, Chairman of Canoo.
“Today, the closest Walmart to customers is right in their pockets—it’s the Walmart app. By continuing to expand our last-mile delivery fleet in a sustainable way, we’re able to provide customers and Walmart+ members with even more access to same-day deliveries while keeping costs low,” added David Guggina, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Automation at Walmart US.
