// Asda and Ocado, in partnership with Wavye, are testing driverless delivery routes in secret locations around London
// Ocado invested £10 million into technology firm last year
Asda and Ocado are trialling driverless vehicles for its delivery fleet across select locations around the capital.
According to The Evening Standard, the grocers have partnered with technology firm Wayve to test the use of self-driving vehicles in London to improve road safety.
A 12-month trial for Asda testing the technology, which has been developed using Jaguar I-Pace electric cars, has begun while Ocado’s trial will start soon in selected postcodes.
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Both trials may also explore the ‘kerb to kitchen’ dilemma with the potential for customers to receive a discount on their shopping if they are prepared to unload their own shopping.
Wayve director of partnerships and business development Kaity Fischer said the testing locations where areas where online shopping was popular.
The vehicles are “driving” themselves but do have a “safety operator” behind the wheel to intervene where necessary.
The use of autonomous vehicles is “sooner than most folks think” but it will be the legislation that will be the “key driver” for its adoption, Fisher said at the Evening Standard’s Plug It In summit.
The news comes as Ocado told investors it was halting its expansion plans as demand for online grocery has subsided with sales reaching £3.9 billion instead of the forecasted £4.5 billion.
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