Walmart has signed a definitive agreement with Canoo to purchase 4,500 all-electric delivery vehicles, beginning with the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV), with the option to purchase up to 10,000 units. The vehicles will be used to deliver online orders in a way that will contribute to Walmart’s goal to achieve zero-emissions by 2040.
While the LDV is expected to begin hitting the road in 2023, the companies plan to kick off advanced deliveries to refine and finalize vehicle configuration in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in the coming weeks. Canoo anticipates starting production of Lifestyle Delivery Vehicles beginning in the fourth quarter this year. Walmart is ranked No. 20 on the FleetOwner 500: Top Private Fleets of 2022 list.
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Canoo’s electric vehicles will be driven by Walmart associates and used to deliver online orders, from groceries to general merchandise, and potentially will be utilized by Walmart GoLocal, the retailer’s delivery-as-a-service business.
Walmart’s LDVs will be configured with one driver seat to add additional cargo space in the front passenger area. Canoo is utilizing steer-by-wire technology to reduce moving parts and to free up space. The back cargo area is configured with two slide-out shelves that are designed to hold Walmart-specific totes. The LDV has a modular design, 120 cu. ft. of cargo volume, and a panoramic front window.
“We are proud to have been selected by Walmart, one of the most sophisticated buyers in the world, to provide our high-tech, all-electric, American-made Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle to add to their impressive logistics capabilities. Our LDV has the turning radius of a small passenger vehicle on a parking-friendly, compact footprint, yet the payload and cargo space of a commercial delivery vehicle. This is the winning algorithm to seriously compete in the last-mile delivery race, globally,” said Tony Aquila, investor and chairman and CEO of Canoo.
