World's Most Terrifying Delivery Bot Heads to Austin
Wonder goes fee-free, Veo launches shared cargo bike, top burger brands
We’ve got some eye-catching hardware today — both a uniquely scary “delivery dog” and a lovely electric cargo bike. Plus, Wonder’s going fee-free, and Yelp’s ranked the top hamburger chains. Let’s get to it!
P.S. — Join us in NYC next Tuesday for a lively Mobility & Delivery Tech Happy Hour.
Today:
RIVR Unleashes Its Robotic Hell Hounds on Austin
Wonderfully Fee-Free Delivery
Chart Time | Most Beloved Burger Brands
Veo Takes Shared Cargo Bikes Nationwide
ROBOTICS | Veho Launches RIVR Delivery Dogs in Austin
If you saw this thing bounding up your steps… would you be eager to receive your package, or would you run away screaming? RIVR has started a pilot deployment in Austin, Texas, taking its “wheeled-legged” dog-like robots to their first U.S. market. Fortunately, the bots will be accompanied by human minders at all times. RIVR sees its unique design as solving the “last 100-yards challenge,” as the robot can address stairs, uneven terrain and gates, something traditional delivery robots struggle with.
The Big Picture: Jeff Bezos-backed RIVR (fka Swiss-Mile) has been tinkering away in Switzerland for over a year now, but this is the company’s first American deployment. They were able to stand up their Austin operations in just a few months by teaming up with Veho, whose gig-powered delivery network is now live across 50 domestic markets. It seems befitting the company decided to start with Austin: the city has become a real hotbed for scary autonomy: Tesla is now quietly testing its Lidar-free robotaxis with nobody in the driver’s seat. (And if Musk gets his way, the Feds will grease the wheels for a wider deployment ASAP.) Sci-fi dystopia aside, RIVR may want to rethink the look and “approach” of its bots a bit — PDD stalwarts like Serve and Kiwibot have made their machines extra cute for a reason: humans are more likely to trust and engage with a machine that looks friendly.
EVENTS | NYC Happy Hour — Tuesday 6/10, 5 to 8 PM
It’s an East Coast — West Coast team-up for the ages! Curbivore and Electric Avenue are hosting a mobility & delivery tech happy hour. Join us on Tuesday, June 10th, from 5 to 8 PM, at Threes Brewing in Brooklyn, NY.
As anyone that’s attended our mixers before can attest, these are always a fun way to meet your fellow technologists, entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and journalists shaping the future of urban movement.
OPERATIONS | Wonder Drops the Delivery Fee
Marc Lore’s super app for mealtime has a crazy new idea: free delivery! For anyone ordering from its 50 or so hubs in the Northeast, Wonder just nixed its delivery fee, which used to run about 2 bucks. Deliveries will still include a 12% service fee (surprise!) but diners can avoid that by signing up for Wonder+, its premium membership that runs for $7.99/mo and also includes expedited ordering and 5% cash back. The company just closed on $600 million in new funding, at a $7B valuation, so it has plenty of marketing cash to burn in its bid to acquire hungry new customers.
The Big Picture: Spending big bucks on promos is a story as old as time, even in a slim-margined biz like food delivery. Wonder’s also pouring subsidy dollars into things like $1 pizza slices, in its bid to revive Grubhub’s Seamless brand in NYC. No word on if the company plans to drop prices at Blue Apron, or go all-in on free delivery at Grubhub, but that would definitely be a way to (at least temporarily) steal some market share from the competition.
See our recent interview with Wonder COO Tony Hoggett.
CHART TIME | Top Burger Chains
Yelp has answered the world’s most pressing question: which burger chains are most beloved, on a regional and nationwide basis? While the chart above shows that many brands are only available in select regions, the cross-country top 10 rankings are topped by SoCal icons and their imitators: In-N-Out, The Habit, Shake Shack, Culver’s, Islands, Freddy’s, Five Guys, Wayback Burgers, Mooyah and Red Robin.
VEHICLES | Veo Debuts Shared Electric Cargo Bike
Shared micromobility operator Veo is showing off a sleek new piece of hardware: meet the Apollo Cargo, North America’s first dockless cargo e-bike. The Apollo Cargo features an assisted throttle, front and rear storage baskets, room for the addition of panniers, and can carry up to 100 pounds (plus the occupant.) Veo’s CEO Candice Xie told Zag Daily, “We’re committing to making 50% of our fleet cargo-capable by 2030 because that’s what it will take to make car-free living a real option for more people.” The new ebike — Veo’s seventh model — made its debut at NACTO’s Designing Cities Conference in D.C.
The Big Picture: Shared electric cargo bikes are popular in Europe, where brands like Cargoroo and BAQME can be found across the continent, usually deploying a front-scoop style model. Green-minded cities have clamored for the concept, as these bikes could replace up to 51% of intra-urban car trips and 77% of private goods-transporting shopping, leisure, and commuting trips. Sadly, the concept has seen far less traction in the United States, besides limited deployments via concepts like Boston’s CargoB. As Veo operates in over 50 U.S. cities, this will be a real opportunity to take cargo e-bikes mainstream.
A Few Good Links
D.C. kicks off discounted ebikes for courier project. Walmart China partners with Meituan. CO Governor vetoes contested ridehailing safety bill. NYC raises delivery fee cap to resolve 3PD lawsuit. DoorDash closes on $2.75B in bonds to fuel acquisition spree; CEO Xu looks to trusty playbook of lean margins and sharp operations. DoorDash Canada adds 24-hr market Rabba Fine Foods. Sam’s Club gets into pizza delivery, but with a three hour minimum time, it’s unlikely Domino’s needs to worry. DHL integrates with Shopify. Dojo raises $190M for payment tech. Uber buys Dantaxi. Texas trucking tort reform effort dies. Red Robin revenue rises 3.1%. JET’s outgoing board gets big share payday. Deliveroo gains VP of Advertising. Why can’t we stop porch piracy? JoyRide seeks to build zero-emissions regional fleet. Lyft heads to Puerto Rico. Thailand’s Robinhood subsumes Foodpanda. Foodpanda and c-store emart24 partner on 24-hr delivery. Uber plugs into India’s ONDC. Korea’s Baemin launches streaming service bundle. Hyundai debuts robotic charging arm. Morocco targets Glovo’s competitive practices. Rappi launches door-to-door verification system. Grab-Gojek merger gets regulatory scrutiny. JET & UEFA launch Countdown Club. The dog-bitiest cities for mail delivery (should really be population weighted.) Is all GMV equal? Grocer Market Basket family fuel is a real basket case. Instacart names Chief Business Officer Chris Rogers as new CEO, who appears to be getting a pay bump compared to outgoing Fidji Simo.
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