(Reuters) – The coronavirus crisis is accelerating a shift in the world of autonomous cars toward delivering packages instead of people, as big players open up a lead over startups in the race for funding.
FILE PHOTO: A Waymo autonomous vehicle (formerly the Google self-driving car project) is displayed at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles booth during the 2019 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2019. REUTERS/Steve Marcus
“The reality right now is that goods delivery is a bigger market than moving people,” John Krafcik, chief executive officer of self-driving technology company Waymo, told Reuters in early May.
Waymo, a unit of Google’s parent Alphabet, started out focusing on autonomous taxis. It has also been developing autonomous trucks and delivery vehicles, and has signed deals with UPS and Walmart on automated delivery pilots. Waymo has branded its delivery operation as Waymo Via.
Now, Waymo has $3 billion in fresh capital after expanding its first funding round from…
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