Walmart (Bentonville, Ark.) has agreed to purchase 4500 all-electric vehicles for last mile deliveries, with plans for the vehicles to hit the road starting in 2023.
The retailer announced that it has reached an agreement with Canoo (Bentonville, Ark.) to supply the vehicles. Canoo is a mobility company which is focused on producing electric vehicles (EVs) for various objectives — the EV maker plans on launching its Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV) later this year, which Walmart will use to deliver online orders next year.
Canoo is also taking preorders for another type of electric delivery vehicle and a pickup truck. Both of those vehicles are planned for a 2023 launch.
As part of the agreement, Walmart will have the option to purchase up to 10,000 vehicles. Walmart workers will actually drive the vehicles, which may also be used for Walmart’s GoLocal service in the future.
“We are proud to have been selected by Walmart, one of the most sophisticated buyers in the world, to provide our high-tech, all-electric, American made Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle to add to their impressive logistics capabilities. 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,” Tony Aquila, Investor, Chair and CEO of Canoo, says.
Walmart notes in the release that beyond its fulfillment centers, it also uses its stores to fulfill online orders — and 3800 of those stores are located within 10 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, making it a fit for quick deliveries from these new vehicles. The retailer has a goal to achieve zero emissions by 2040.