Kroger and Nuro partner to deliver groceries via driverless cars

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Kroger and Nuro partner to deliver groceries via driverless cars By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.07.

1 Kroger and Nuro partner to deliver groceries via driverless cars By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on Word Count 641 Level 1200L Kroger, the nation's largest grocery chain, announced a partnership with Nuro, a Silicon Valley startup that produces a driverless car called the R1, for grocery deliveries. Photo by: Kroger If you live in the Phoenix, Arizona, area, you may have already encountered autonomous, or selfdriving, vehicles. Without help from any drivers, they deliver passengers from one location to another throughout the city and nearby areas. Now, Scottsdale, Arizona, residents can have their groceries delivered by robotically driven vehicles as well. In mid-december, Kroger the nation's largest grocery chain announced a new partnership with Nuro, a technology company. Nuro produces a self-driving, unmanned vehicle known as the R1 that operates on roadways alongside cars. As of December 18, customers have been able to have their groceries delivered to their homes by the autonomous vehicle. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 1

2 Yael Cosset is the chief digital officer for Kroger. "Customers are looking for new, convenient ways to feed their families and purchase the products they need quickly through services like pickup and delivery," he said in a news release. "Our autonomous delivery pilot with Nuro over the past few months continues to prove the benefit of the flexible and reliable technology." Prius Vehicles Deliver The Orders How does it work? After making grocery purchases online, customers schedule a same-day or next-day delivery time. Each order is delivered by either an R1 or one of Nuro's self-driving Prius vehicles, which are also in operation. The R1 uses public roads, does not have a human backup driver and can reach 25 miles per hour. Nuro was founded by two engineers from Google's self-driving car project. The company says that as far as its team knows, the unmanned service which costs $5.95 per drop off is the first of its kind. Regardless, the autonomous delivery service will compete with a growing number of big-name competitors in the grocery delivery space, such as Amazon and Walmart. A July 2017 poll found that just 4 percent of Americans reported shopping for groceries online on a weekly basis. Younger city dwellers were most likely to do so. While those numbers may sound discouraging, researchers concluded that they actually highlight the industry's potential for largescale changes. "Theoretically," the researchers reported, there is "enormous potential for growth in the online grocery business." Other Companies Have Started Driverless Deliveries "Amazon's purchase of the retail grocer Whole Foods recently underscored this possibility," the report added. There is speculation that "the online giant will use the grocery chain as a launching pad to expand its online operations into the food sector." In Miami, automaker Ford has already teamed up with Walmart and Postmates to create a delivery service using self-driving vehicles. The San Francisco-based company Udelv has begun making grocery deliveries in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Oklahoma City. Known for its bright orange vehicles, the company recently announced plans to begin delivering vehicle parts to businesses in Houston. In August, the company AutoX launched a pilot program in San Jose, California. Its service uses autonomous vehicles to deliver "fresh produce and other goods," with a twist: This article is available at 5 reading levels at 2

3 "You can order goods from an app and get them delivered by a self-driving vehicle; or, our selfdriving car brings a shelf of goods to you, and you can select and purchase onsite in front of your house," the company said. Takeout Brought To You By A Robot Robotic delivery is not just limited to food, either. Last year, Washington, D.C., and Redwood City, California, residents were able to have food delivered from local restaurants by a small, boxy robot. The autonomous delivery bot was created by a company called Starship Technologies. The company recently unveiled plans to broaden its delivery service beyond food to include packages. The move led the company to declare itself "the world's first robot package delivery service." The package delivery service is not available to everyone just yet. The company said it's rolling out the service in Milton Keynes, England, and will expand to the San Francisco Bay Area in the next few months. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 3

4 Quiz 1 The section "Prius Vehicles Deliver The Orders" includes words such as "theoretically" and "potential." How do these words contribute to the tone of the article? They emphasize the profits already gained from the new business. They highlight the competitive nature of online businesses. They provide a sense of certainty in the new business ventures. They stress the speculative nature of the new businesses. 2 What is the meaning of the phrase "rolling out" as used in the following sentence? The company said it's rolling out the service in Milton Keynes, England, and will expand to the San Francisco Bay Area in the next few months. introducing increasing promoting limiting 3 Read the following paragraph from the introduction [paragraphs 1-4.] In mid-december, Kroger the nation's largest grocery chain announced a new partnership with Nuro, a technology company. Nuro produces a self-driving, unmanned vehicle known as the R1 that operates on roadways alongside cars. As of Tuesday, December 18, customers have been able to have their groceries delivered to their homes by the autonomous vehicle. How does the last sentence contribute to the development of the CENTRAL ideas? It describes how a customer places an order using the new service. It highlights the new partnership between Kroger and Nuro. It explains why the new delivery service was started. It shows the new delivery business is already in service. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 4

5 4 Read the following sentences from the introduction [paragraphs 1-4] and the section "Other Companies Have Started Driverless Deliveries." "Customers are looking for new, convenient ways to feed their families and purchase the products they need quickly through services like pickup and delivery," he said in a news release. "You can order goods from an app and get them delivered by a selfdriving vehicle; or, our self-driving car brings a shelf of goods to you, and you can select and purchase onsite in front of your house," the company said. Which answer choice BEST describes the relationship between the two sentences? The first one explains Nuro's business model and the second shows what its delivery looks like. The first one highlights the role of autonomous vehicles and the second stresses customer needs. The first one describes customer needs and the second highlights one of the new options available to meet those needs. The first one emphasizes changes in e-commerce and the second provides a specific example of those changes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 5

6 Answer Key 1 The section "Prius Vehicles Deliver The Orders" includes words such as "theoretically" and "potential." How do these words contribute to the tone of the article? They emphasize the profits already gained from the new business. They highlight the competitive nature of online businesses. They provide a sense of certainty in the new business ventures. They stress the speculative nature of the new businesses. 2 What is the meaning of the phrase "rolling out" as used in the following sentence? The company said it's rolling out the service in Milton Keynes, England, and will expand to the San Francisco Bay Area in the next few months. introducing increasing promoting limiting 3 Read the following paragraph from the introduction [paragraphs 1-4.] In mid-december, Kroger the nation's largest grocery chain announced a new partnership with Nuro, a technology company. Nuro produces a self-driving, unmanned vehicle known as the R1 that operates on roadways alongside cars. As of Tuesday, December 18, customers have been able to have their groceries delivered to their homes by the autonomous vehicle. How does the last sentence contribute to the development of the CENTRAL ideas? It describes how a customer places an order using the new service. It highlights the new partnership between Kroger and Nuro. It explains why the new delivery service was started. It shows the new delivery business is already in service. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 6

7 4 Read the following sentences from the introduction [paragraphs 1-4] and the section "Other Companies Have Started Driverless Deliveries." "Customers are looking for new, convenient ways to feed their families and purchase the products they need quickly through services like pickup and delivery," he said in a news release. "You can order goods from an app and get them delivered by a selfdriving vehicle; or, our self-driving car brings a shelf of goods to you, and you can select and purchase onsite in front of your house," the company said. Which answer choice BEST describes the relationship between the two sentences? The first one explains Nuro's business model and the second shows what its delivery looks like. The first one highlights the role of autonomous vehicles and the second stresses customer needs. The first one describes customer needs and the second highlights one of the new options available to meet those needs. The first one emphasizes changes in e-commerce and the second provides a specific example of those changes. This article is available at 5 reading levels at 7

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