Marco’s Pizza to begin testing autonomous delivery EVs with Magna [Video]

North American restaurant chain Marco’s Pizza has announced a new agreement with Magna International to test out a number of last mile delivery methods. One of the methods includes fully-autonomous pizza delivery EVs seen in the video below.

Magna International is a global automotive contract manufacturer that currently reigns as the largest in North America and the fourth largest on the planet, operating 351 production and assembly facilities across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.

As a leader in automotive parts, Magna has remained in the forefront of new technologies and is in many ways embracing electrification and autonomy. We’ve already seen Magna manufacture autonomous delivery robots for Cartken in the US and even developed a pizza delivery vehicles of its own.

The company showcased those autonomous pizza deliveries at the Detroit Auto Show last fall ahead of a pilot program with a local pizzeria. Today however, Magna has garnered a bigger slice of the last-mile delivery pie with its new partner – Marco’s Pizza.

Marco’s begins autonomous pizza deliveries with Magna

According to a press release from both companies, Magna International and Marco’s pizza have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a variety of last-mile delivery platform options with the latter’s franchisees, including autonomous and EV solutions.

To begin, the companies say they will discuss a proof-of-concept concept for the program over the next several months before kicking off in-market pilot projects with participating franchisees. Together Magna and Marco’s hope to gather insightful data and into the usage rates of last-mile delivery vehicles, customer acceptance, and overall efficiency. Magna’s executive vice president and global lead for Magna new mobility Matteo Del Sorbo spoke:

As we look at how people and goods will move in the future, we are continuously identifying new applications and technologies to match the needs of the expanded mobility landscape, the last-mile delivery market being one of them. By collaborating with a company like  Marco’s, we want to not only create an exceptional experience for their franchisees and  customers but continue to evolve our last-mile delivery offerings.

Looking ahead, North American customers may eventually see their pizza come straight from Marco’s oven to their front door in a full-autonomous electric vehicle like the one showcased in the video below. Check it out.