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Amazon Might Be Planning To Use Driverless Cars for Delivery (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.

Amazon could be eyeing driverless car technology as a way to get items to people's doors faster, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. From an article: It seems nearly every tech and auto giant are now evaluating autonomous vehicle technology. Google-owner Alphabet recently spun out its self-driving car unit, Waymo, into its own subsidiary. Apple was just granted a license in California to test autonomous vehicles. Ford and General Motors are also doubling down on creating autonomous vehicles. Amazon's ambitions, however, may not be to actually build these cars. Instead, the e-commerce giant has a team of around a dozen employees thinking of ways to potentially use the nascent technology to expand its own retail and logistics operations. Operating fleets of driverless trucks to ship items bought from its marketplace could help lower costs for the company.

10 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Cause for concern by DickBreath · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is okay if Amazon's cars are driverless . . .

    . . . as long as they are also self-driving.

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    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  2. No drivers, just deliver-people? by lionchild · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So, Amazon will use driverless cars to deliver goods. How do you suppose those goods get from the car, to the 3rd floor apartment, or in onto the porch of the house, or if there are special instructions, through the gate and onto the step at the back door? A drone based in the vehicle? I think you're going to have to have someone involved there to get the package to where it needs to go.

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    Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
    1. Re: No drivers, just deliver-people? by ColdSam · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The special price for picking it up at the curb is free. As you say, for premium delivery options you will have to pay, just as you do now.

    2. Re:No drivers, just deliver-people? by ColdSam · · Score: 2

      Then you will be in the 1% of people who would rather pay $5 for shipping rather than walk 20 ft from the door to the curb and have no charge.

      Having an Amazon locker right outside your front door is a vastly superior option for most people than what they are currently doing. There will always be exceptions, but just expect to pay extra to be in that tiny minority.

    3. Re:No drivers, just deliver-people? by lionchild · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The easiest and most obvious is that the vehicles will just stop outside of the house/apartment and the person will walk to the street and unlock the package with a phone.

      So, they will they only make deliveries when I'm home? Meaning the bulk of the fleet would operate after hours in the window from 6PM to 9PM, when people are home, but not yet in bed. I'm not sure this approach would work well for the average person with a 8AM to 5PM job.

      However, if they -do- deliver it when I plan to be home, nights, weekends, etc.. and I set the delivery time and they adhere to it, that could work.

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      Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
    4. Re:No drivers, just deliver-people? by Stolovaya · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why would I pay that? With Prime, I already pay no shipping. Why would I pay $5 more for a service I'm already getting? You're also vastly underestimating the convenience factor.

      An Amazon locker? Why would I have one? Amazon already delivers to my doorstep.

  3. Of course they are by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Anyone who owns a delivery or livery fleet is looking at the possibility long term. I suspect regulations and edge cases will delay this to at least 2030 but eventually this will come. In Amazon's case I'm sure it will also involve a mini robot that will take the package from the truck to the door. Probably several of them at once so it can circle back and pick up some.

    I expect those same mini robot's to arrive much sooner, as they can be used in the warehouse and are being used right now. Expect the vast number of people employed in their warehouses to drop 90% (or at least the number of employees per package to drop that amount - the way amazon keeps growing year to year the new warehouses will offset that. Forget about WalMart, amazon is the small *and* large town job destroyer.)

  4. Re:Theft? by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 2

    Considering how many criminals post their crimes on Facebook, I wouldn't be so sure.

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  5. Re:Driverless cars are a MEME by fisted · · Score: 2

    The margin seems to serve the purpose of holding the utterly important widget that tells you your name, user id and karma.
    I find that highly useful because I ocasionally forget my name, I would have *no idea* where to look up my userid if I ever needed it, and my karma? It's changing so quickly between "Excellent" and "Excellent" that I'm having a hard time keeping track of it.

    THANK YOU, /., for the new, user experience improving, margin.

    If I might add, a narrower comment section feels more app-grade. Thanks for that, too.

    Now if you'll excuse me, I have an app to app. With a margin.

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  6. Re:your front door by grahamsz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    With a drone of course. The notion of having amazon fly a drone from the their DC to your house is ridiculous, but parking a small truck in your neighborhood and having a half dozen drones take flight from it is way more efficient.