Cincinnati, Ohio, US: Kroger, one of the top US grocers has completed a pilot test of General Motors’ BrightDrop electric carts.
The electrified cart has temperature controlled compartments to assist grocery store pickers fulfil online orders.
Grocery giant Kroger intends to sign as the first BrightDrop customer.
BrightDrop is an electric mobility brand formed by General Motors in early 2021 to develop electric light commercial vehicles for last-mile deliveries, electric smart containers, and cloud-based software to support fleets.
BrightDrop has developed two all-electric delivery vans. The latest product, the BrightDrop Trace Grocery is a variation of its E-Cart for grocery order fulfillment.
According to BrightDrop, the Trace Grocery allows employees to place an order directly into specific compartments of the unit before it is parked curbside for the customer. That customer can then pull up to BrightDrop’s new E-Cart, verify their identity, and gain access to their groceries.
The BrightDrop Trace Grocery has:
- temperature management to store items at food-safe temps for up to four hours
- propulsion-assistance to help operators move up to 350 lbs. of groceries
- auto-braking that matches an operator’s walking speed up to 3 mph
- nine compartments to organise groceries by order, temperature, and product type for optimized pickups
- ability to manoeuver inside and outside of a store, reducing costly staging and infrastructure requirements
- weatherproofing to handle variable temperatures and outdoor elements
Limited quantities of the BrightDrop E-Cart built specifically for groceries are currently available, but it should reach full availability in 2024.
