US multinational retail corporation Walmart has signed an agreement with mobility company Canoo to purchase 4,500 all-electric delivery vehicles, beginning with the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV), with an option to purchase up to 10,000 units.
The vehicles will be driven by Walmart associates and used to deliver online orders, from groceries to general merchandise, as well as the potential to be used for Walmart GoLocal, the retailer’s delivery-as-a-service business.
“We’re thrilled to continue diversifying our last-mile delivery fleet with Canoo’s unique and sustainably focused all-electric technology, which will provide our associates with safe, ergonomic delivery vehicles,” said David Guggina, senior vice president of innovation and automation, Walmart US
“By continuing to expand our last-mile delivery fleet in a sustainable way, we’re able to provide customers s with even more access to same-day deliveries while keeping costs low.”
While the LDV is expected to hit roads in 2023, the two companies plan to start advanced deliveries to refine and finalise vehicle configuration in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex in Texas in the coming weeks.
Canoo’s LDV is optimised for sustainable last-mile delivery use cases. It is built on a proprietary multi-purpose platform (MPP) architecture that integrates the motors, battery module and other critical driving components.
What’s more, the LDV has a last-mile delivery optimised cabin and customised cargo space. It utilises steer-by-wire technology, reducing moving parts and cabin intrusion, resulting in more usable interior space, better driver ergonomics and the addition of a panoramic window to improve road visibility.
In addition, the LDV is engineered for high frequency stop-and-go deliveries and vehicle-to-door drop-off, including grocery and food/meal delivery.
Its interior is designed for small package delivery, at competitive per stop economics. The modular design and 120ft3 cargo volume are adaptable to customer needs, which, according to Canoo, contributes to a decreasing per unit investment over time.
Canoo anticipates starting production of the LDVs in Q4 2022.
