This is the first in France. Carrefour offers to deliver its customers’ purchases using autonomous and 100% electric shuttles, without human intervention. This innovative delivery service, deployed on the Saclay plateau, was presented on December 1 on the esplanade of the Ecole Polytechnique.
However, it will require human intervention upstream, as Carrefour de Massy employees will first have to load the shuttle with orders. The autonomous vehicle will then travel independently from Massy to Paris-Saclay. Thus, it will circulate every day in the middle of traffic on the roads of north-west Essonne, between Massy and Palaiseau, on the Saclay plateau and will be able to reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h.
In order to circulate on public roads, the autonomous shuttle has benefited from an adaptation of the regulations. So you can circulate from 17 to 19 hours, but not at night.
A safety driver on the ferry.
In addition, as required by regulations, a safety driver, ready to take control in the event of a problem, will remain inside for the time being.
To benefit from this service, customers must place their order on the Carrefour site before choosing the mobile unit option as a delivery solution. They will then be notified by SMS of the order approval time. This message will provide them with the locker number and the secret code needed to open it and retrieve their purchases.
To implement this innovative solution, the retail brand turned to startup Goggo Network. The company, which raised €44 million in funding at the end of 2019, aims to become one of the largest operators of autonomous and electric vehicles in Europe.
According to its co-founder, Yasmine Fage, the most suitable use of this shuttle is still the delivery of purchases, the transport of people has yet to prove its worth.
A 6 month experiment
This service will be tested for six months. The ultimate goal is to be able to make deliveries in all areas where there are no stores and home deliveries.
Carrefour, leader in the home delivery market, intends to remain so. The distributor has set a goal of 10,000 million euros of business volume via e-commerce in 2026, compared to the current 3,000 million.
Source: BFM TV
