Avride Launches Sidewalk Delivery Bots on Uber Eats in Jersey City

Autonomous Delivery Arrives in Jersey City via Uber Eats and Avride

Residents of Jersey City can now experience deliveries fulfilled by Avride’s autonomous sidewalk robots through the Uber Eats platform.

This rollout, beginning this week in New Jersey, signifies Uber’s continued investment in autonomous vehicle technology and a strengthening partnership with Avride.

Expanding Autonomous Vehicle Initiatives

Uber currently integrates autonomous vehicles into its app across 11 cities, collaborating with six different partners.

• These partners include Cartken, Coco, Nuro, and Serve Robotics.
• Plans are also underway to incorporate Waymo’s robotaxis into the app in Austin and Atlanta by early 2025.

The collaboration with Avride was initially announced in October 2024, aiming to integrate both delivery robots and autonomous vehicles into the Uber platform.

Previous Launches and Future Plans

Since the initial announcement, robotic deliveries have already commenced in Austin and Dallas.

Further expansion is planned with the introduction of Avride’s self-driving cars in Dallas later this year, marking Avride’s first robotaxi service in the United States.

Avride originated as a spin-off from Yandex, a Russian technology firm that restructured its operations following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Recently, Avride also established a partnership with Grubhub to deploy robots on university campuses nationwide, starting with 100 robots at Ohio State University.

Jersey City as a Testbed

Jersey City presents a unique, though potentially challenging, environment for these robotic deliveries.

Winter weather conditions, including snow, rain, and freezing temperatures, could pose difficulties for the robots’ operation.

Avride asserts that its robots are capable of functioning in snowy and moderately wet conditions.

The robots can reach speeds of up to five miles per hour and have a range of 31 miles on a single charge, though their optimal delivery radius is between one and two miles.

Operational Details

Avride will initially operate the robots within a one-square-mile area of downtown Jersey City.

This area encompasses Hamilton Park, Historic Downtown, and the Waterfront, with future expansion planned.

The company has not disclosed the number of robots being deployed in Jersey City at launch.

Participating restaurants include Jiangnan (Michelin-rated), Rumi Turkish Grill, and Gulp.

Uber Eats customers will have the option to choose between a traditional courier or an Avride robot for their delivery.

Customers can monitor the robot’s location via the Uber Eats app.

Notifications will alert customers upon the robot’s arrival, allowing them to unlock and retrieve their order through the app.

Industry Outlook and Challenges

During Uber’s fourth-quarter earnings report, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi identified 2024 as a pivotal year for the autonomous vehicle industry.

He estimates the U.S. market alone represents a trillion-dollar opportunity.

Despite this optimistic outlook, Khosrowshahi cautioned that widespread commercialization will take time.

Factors contributing to this timeline include the high cost of equipping vehicles with necessary sensors, a complex regulatory landscape, fluctuating demand based on seasons, and the critical need for exceptionally high safety standards.