Ford's EV Delivery Van Adds Range, Charging Capabilities
New narratives in Seattle & NYC, Instacart adds regional markets, January 3PD market share
There’s a little something for everyone in today’s edition: updated electric vans, competing narratives in urban regulatory saga, a 3PD market share update and new Instacart partners. Read on!
This week’s edition is brought to you by Curbivore — 3/28-29 in DTLA.
Today:
Ford Charges Up 2024 E-Transit Van
Regulators Clap Back in Seattle, NYC
Chart Time | January 3PD Market Share
Instacart Adds Canseco’s, Harps, Price Chopper
VEHICLES | Ford E-Transit Van Boosts Range, Charging Speed
Ford just updated the electric version of its versatile delivery van: meet the 2024 E-Transit. The most notable improvement is 89 kWh of usable battery capacity, up from 68 in previous years. That should be good enough for 159 miles of driving, which ought to be plenty given the average commercial van is used just 74 miles per day. Charging speed is also improved, with the van slurping down 67 miles of range in just 15 minutes; the vehicle can also now tap into Tesla’s charging network, and power on-board work tools. The high-roof config can hold up to 487 cubic feet, while the base model starts at $51,095, although you can knock that down with a $7.5k Commercial Clean Vehicle rebate.
The Big Picture: Commercial users are finally starting to see some truly competitive electric van offerings. Ram’s EV ProMaster can roll for a healthy 162 miles, while last month Mercedes-Benz updated the eSprinter to include a huge 113 kWh battery, likely good for up to 230 miles of delivering. Then of course there are upstarts like Rivian, while even smaller players like GreenPower and Bollinger keep making interesting moves.
Meet Curbivore’s Latest Speakers — March 28 & 29 in DTLA
The entire delivery ecosystem is coming together at Curbivore, March 28 & 29, in Downtown LA’s lively Arts District. Meet with AV innovators at Starship, Waymo and Faction; hear from regulators and policy-makers at the city, transit agency, state and Federal levels; learn the latest from top execs at the major 3PDs; and nosh on street food from a James Beard nominated & LA Times “101 Best” award-winning chef.
POLICY | Competing Narratives Emerge in Seattle, NYC
Both Seattle and New York City have fashioned themselves as vanguards in the push to regulate 3PD pay and working conditions, with both cities having recently put higher minimum wages into effect. In response to the apps crying foul, Michael Lanza, a spokesperson for NYC’s Department of Consumer and Workforce Protection, says "The number of deliveries in NYC has remained steady since the Minimum Pay Rate took effect, and there is no evidence that restaurants are losing money." In metro Seattle, gig work pay platform Solo notes that while active workers are down 15%, hourly earnings are up 8% and base bay has jumped 38%, while tips fell 16%.
The Big Picture: That’s a bit more nuanced than the picture the 3PDs are painting… DoorDash argues that NYC’s regulations have cost merchants $3.5M in revenue over two weeks, while Uber argues that Seattle’s PayUp ordinance has driven a 30% decrease to delivery orders.
CHART TIME | January Food Delivery Market Share Update
Oops, we waited until March to give you the January update to Second Measure’s tracking of 3PD market share. Maybe that’s because the numbers look the exact same as December’s. DashPass retention shifted slightly: 64% at one month, 34% at six months at 26% at the year mark.
3PD | Instacart Adds Canseco’s Market, Harps Foods, Price Chopper
Instacart just signed on three new regional grocers to Instacart Storefront, its e-commerce / website product suite. Canseco’s Markets operates a handful of stores in the New Orleans region; Harps Foods has 114 locations across Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas; while Price Chopper is a collective of 55 markets in the Kansas City region (not to be confused with a different Price Chopper chain in the Northeast.)
The Big Picture: Instacart’s whole suite of grocery-oriented tools continues to be its main advantage over the other 3PDs. While UE and DD have shown they can grab the milk and eggs for you, they don’t have feature parity with IC’s branded homepage options, analytics suite, loyalty data, ads, smart physical shopping carts, and more. Those might not matter as much for the larger chains that can build those tools themselves, but for small and mid-sized grocers, letting Instacart handle those means the market can focus on keeping the veggies from wilting. (As an example of how tech-inept some smaller grocers are, Canseco’s website doesn’t appear to even be loading today.)
A Few Good Links
Pitchbook says Getir has 91% odds of IPOing. Uber launches Pro Card for Canadian workers. CA names fast-food council members. Modii awarded Sourcewell curb management purchasing contract. Restaurant expenses rise. Grubhub says marketplace (universities) orders grew 30%, partners up 20% in 2023. First Watch heads to New England, Vegas. Sbux union drops board bid. ADL Final Mile expands in FL. SEC drops Scope 3 emission disclosure rules. Wayfair adds consolidated delivery options. Target’s 2023 financial results see 8% growth in same-day services, revenue down 1.6%, net income up 49%. Swiggy offers food delivery to train pax. City of LA and Revolution Foods offer free meal delivery to seniors. Kroger says Reese’s Eggs are top Easter candy. Market leader Rad Power intros new, affordable e-bikes, including cargo model. Meal kit-ish maker Daily Harvest debuts in Costco. LA streamlining solar, battery install rules. Iowa looks to solve rural food deserts. Top women in mobility. London’s cycling network on a growth spree.
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