Global pizza delivery company Pizza Hut has announced it is working on making fully autonomous pizza delivery vehicles with Toyota.
The vehicle platform will be based on the ePalette Toyota concept vehicle that is being demonstrated at the CES consumer technology expo that is being held in Las Vegas this week.
In a statement, Pizza Hut said that it was one of the founding members of a new “mobility service business alliance” that also includes Amazon, Didi, Mazda and Uber.
“In our ongoing and relentless pursuit to own and define the modern pizza experience for our customers, we are focused on technology-based solutions that enable our team members and drivers to deliver even better customer experiences,” said Artie Starrs , President, Pizza Hut, U.S.
“With Toyota, we are excited to be partnering with an undisputed leader in human mobility with a reputation for innovation, reliability and efficiency, as we define the pizza delivery experience of the future.”
Pizza Hut that, “given the flexibility of the e-Palette design”, could be used for deliveries and “even serve as a mobile kitchen in areas of the world where such an experience would match consumer interests”.
Pizza Hut added: “Along with working together on autonomous delivery solutions, the companies will immediately begin working on plans to improve the existing driver/delivery ecosystem. Starting in early 2018, Pizza Hut and Toyota will jointly test dual communication technology in Pizza Hut delivery vehicles to capture data on driver patterns and behaviors. Better data will result in improved performance for both companies, optimize the safety of delivery, as well as enhance delivery operations.”