When we talk about electrification and e-mobility, we usually talk about electric cars and electric bicycles (e-bikes) – but there are many, many more areas of life where a little motorized assistance can go a long way. Areas like— pfft, I don’t know. Let’s say, “your local supermarket”, and then talk about how GM BrightDrop partners with the Kroger supermarket chain to electrify its curbside pick-up and warehouse operations.
GMs BrightDrop commercial EV arm has announced that it is expanding its product portfolio with the launch of a new temperature-controlled “eCart” powered by Bafang-sourced e-bike hardware to streamline order fulfillment and online grocery order retrieval. That’s a enormous deal for GM, with online supermarket expected to exceed $240 billion (!?) by 2025.
“COVID has led to a dramatic increase in online grocery shopping and fulfilling these orders profitably has become a major challenge for retailers of all sizes. With the Trace Grocery, we saw an opportunity to help companies like Kroger meet these challenges,” said BrightDrop CEO, Travis Katz. “As online shopping continues to grow, BrightDrop is committed to developing innovative solutions to help our customers keep pace. The Trace Grocery is a perfect example of that.”
I had the chance to taste the non-grocery version of the BrightDrop Trace at the ACT Expo in Long Beach earlier this year. Designed for shipping companies like FedEx to help reduce injuries and generally improve working conditions, the Trace works exactly as advertised. I had a lot of fun with my little robot mailbox buddy, and the pilot programs the company launched in Toronto and New York just started reporting huge efficiency gains — drivers delivered 25% more packages, with FedEx reporting being able to reduce curb time, improve traffic flow and even remove a truck from one route (!).
In a similar pilot, BrightDrop and Kroger experienced a noticeable improvement in customer and employee experiences. As a result, Kroger has decided to “pull the trigger” on a wider deal, with more stockpiles coming online soon and “full” availability of the Trace Grocery (whatever that means) expected in 2024 with advanced customizable capabilities slated for release. the future lets go.
Source | Pictures: GM Bright Drop.
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