DoorDash rolls out autonomous delivery robots in East Valley, plans wide expansion
Story Highlights
- DoorDash launches autonomous delivery robots in Tempe and Mesa
- Dot robots travel up to 20 mph on various surfaces
- DoorDash plans to expand service across Phoenix metro area
DoorDash has rolled out autonomous delivery robots in areas on the East Valley as part of the San Francisco-based company’s plan to deploy its technology in multiple new markets nationwide.
DoorDash (Nasdaq: DASH) on Tuesday launched an early access program in Tempe and Mesa for its autonomous delivery robot, Dot, which can travel up to 20 miles per hour and operate on bike lanes, roads, sidewalks and driveways.
DoorDash’s red four-wheeled autonomous robots are operating near Arizona State University’s Tempe campus and “two large areas” that cover the majority of Mesa, a company spokesperson told the Business Journal.
“We plan to work closely with local stakeholders, including regulators and advocacy groups, to scale up this service safely and smoothly to reach more of the Phoenix metro area, covering a population of 1.5 million people by the end of year,” the company spokesperson said.
Dot is designed for quick deliveries to help businesses meet growing customer demand during peak hours, while reducing carbon emissions with its all-electric design, according to the company.
“You don’t always need a full-sized car to deliver a tube of toothpaste or pack of diapers. That’s the insight behind Dot,” Stanley Tang, cofounder and head of DoorDash Labs, said in a statement. “The breakthrough wasn’t just making it autonomous, but in making it reliable and efficient to serve the needs of local businesses and consumers. Dot is purpose-built for the millions of deliveries we facilitate every day. It is small enough to navigate doorways and driveways, fast enough to maintain food quality, and smart enough to optimize the best routes for delivery.
DoorDash chose the Valley as the first market for Dot’s commercial deployment based on high merchant and consumer demand.
“Its higher-density suburban layout makes it an ideal model for the kinds of markets that we built Dot to serve — areas that could be better supported by improved delivery infrastructure,” a company spokesperson said.
Public and merchant reception of Dot has been “overwhelmingly positive, although DoorDash declined to disclose how many businesses are using the autonomous robots for deliveries in the Valley.
DoorDash said drivers will continue to complete a majority of the company’s daily deliveries, although Dot allows them to focus more on “high-value orders that require human judgement and care.
The company plans to expand service into multiple new markets nationwide in the future, although it did not specify target locations.