General Motors and Kroger launching electric grocery cart
BrightDrop Trace eCart designed for last-mile deliveries
General Motors CEO Mary Barra weighs in on how General Motors is handling various challenges while keeping consumers happy on 'The Claman Countdown.'
General Motors is going from electric cars to electric carts.
The automaker is launching a battery-powered cart designed for grocery delivery services.
The device is being marketed under GM's new BrightDrop brand, which sells its new all-electric commercial vans and associated technology.
The BrightDrop Trace Grocery features nine temperature-controlled drawers and is weatherproofed for four-season use.
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Its propulsion system can handle loads up to 350 pounds and reach speeds of 3 mph.
The compartments are lockable, and the cart can be integrated into a store's app, so it can be left for a customer to retrieve their own purchases using a verification code.
Designed to optimize the online grocery order fulfillment and pickup process, BrightDrop’s Trace Grocery eCart can store items at food-safe temperatures for up to four hours. (BrightDrop)
Kroger has been testing the Trace, which is expanding to other retailers and will be widely available in 2024.
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"COVID has driven a dramatic increase in online grocery shopping, and fulfilling these orders profitably has become a major challenge for retailers of all sizes. With the Trace Grocery, we saw an opportunity to help companies like Kroger tackle these challenges head on," BrightDrop President and CEO Travis Katz said in a press release.
BrightDrop’s Trace Grocery is a propulsion-assisted, temp-controlled eCart, designed to get groceries into the hands of customers faster while unlocking efficiencies and cost-savings for retailers. Kroger is slated to be the first customer. (BrightDrop)
"As online shopping continues to grow, BrightDrop is committed to developing innovative solutions to help our customers keep pace. The Trace Grocery is a perfect example of this."
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FedEx has received 150 of BrightDrop's Zevo 600s. The shipping giant plans to incorporate 2,500 of the electric vans in its fleeting in the coming years. (FedEx)
Along with the Trace, BrightDrop has begun deliveries of its Zevo electric van, which has a range of up to 250 miles per charge and is currently in use by several companies including FedEx.