Udelv, which develops autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs), has signed a deal with Narnia Road and Esperanza Real Estate Investments to supply Oklahoma City’s (OKC) largest local chain of grocery stores with self-driving delivery vans.

According to udelv, the grocery chain is the first in the world to make such a large scale investment in ADVs. 

“The partnership between udelv and Esperanza and the BFL Company of stores is a historic agreement and signals the start of ADVs making everyday life easier for Americans,” says udelv CEO, Daniel Laury.

“We’re proud to be working with a visionary company committed to helping us pioneer the future of delivery technology.”

Through the agreement, udelv will provide an initial 10 customized cargo vans to service online deliveries in the OKC metro area to supermarkets such as Uptown Grocery, Buy For Less, Buy For Less Super Mercado and Smart Saver.

The first vehicle is expected to be delivered in Q1, 2019, and the full fleet will be delivered by the end of June 2019.

​According to udelv, these vehicles will be the world’s first ADVs for public road driving, and they will operate with safety drivers onboard until both companies and regulators deem them approved for safe driverless operation.

Eventually, the vehicles, which are SAE L4[1] ADVs according to udelv, will cover thousands of miles of residential roads in what is expected to be one of the largest autonomous driving deployments in the world.

Additionally, the companies have also secured an exclusive dealership agreement with udelv for additional fleet vans. These vehicles will be used to service other local merchants, residents, and potential pharmacies in underserved markets.

To go along with the commission of driverless vehicles, udelv and Esperanza Real Estate Investments will establish operations in Oklahoma City and create a state-of-the-art tele-operations center for the remote control and monitoring of the fleet.

“We believe we exist to elevate communities and relationships, always striving to be innovative and forward thinking with decisions on how to serve our community,” says Susan Binkowski, CEO of Esperanza and co-owner of the BFL Grocery Company.

“As a leading provider of grocery in Oklahoma, we are thrilled to add this new technology that enhances our ability to deliver food with excellence, service, and convenience to Oklahoma families.”