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Serve Robotics partners with DoorDash to expand autonomous food deliveries

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Serve Robotics, a San Francisco-based delivery robot company, has announced a new partnership with DoorDash, marking its expansion beyond its long-standing collaboration with Uber Eats. The deal will see Serve’s sidewalk robots begin handling food deliveries in Los Angeles, with plans to extend across the U.S., the company said Thursday.

Following the announcement, Serve’s shares surged more than 25%, reaching their highest level in eight months. The partnership allows Serve to access DoorDash’s vast network of restaurants and customers, significantly increasing the volume of orders available for its autonomous delivery fleet.

“This partnership enables us to go to cities where DoorDash is the dominant player,” said Serve CEO Ali Kashani, noting that the company now has a large enough fleet to serve multiple delivery platforms efficiently. He added that revenues will grow as the partnership scales to match Serve’s existing Uber Eats operations.

Serve’s robots have already completed over 100,000 deliveries across cities including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta, handling orders from more than 2,500 restaurants. The expansion with DoorDash strengthens its position in the rapidly growing autonomous last-mile delivery market, which companies are turning to in order to cut labor costs and speed up service.

DoorDash recently unveiled its own delivery robot, Dot, and continues to explore automation through partnerships with Alphabet’s Wing for drone deliveries.

Meituan’s Revenue in Line with Estimates Amid Sluggish Consumption and Rising Competition

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Meituan, China’s largest food delivery company, posted fourth-quarter revenue that met analysts’ expectations, despite the ongoing sluggishness in Chinese consumption. The company reported revenue of 88.5 billion yuan ($12.21 billion) for the three months ending December, just above analysts’ forecast of 87.7 billion yuan, according to LSEG data.

For the full year, Meituan’s revenue reached 337.59 billion yuan, a significant increase from 276.75 billion yuan in 2023. Its net profit surged to 35.81 billion yuan, up from 13.86 billion yuan the previous year, signaling robust growth despite broader economic challenges.

The company highlighted its strategic focus on expanding investments in cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, unmanned aerial delivery, and autonomous delivery vehicles. These initiatives are aimed at strengthening its position in the highly competitive food delivery market.

Meituan has benefited from an increased focus on low-cost and discounted products, catering to price-conscious shoppers. However, competition in the sector is heating up, particularly with e-commerce giant JD.com entering the food delivery space in February. JD.com announced it would provide full-time delivery riders with social insurance and housing fund contributions under China’s social security system, prompting Meituan to follow suit. Meituan plans to extend similar benefits to its full-time and stable part-time riders starting in the second quarter of 2025.

“As the industry leader, we are also dedicated to fulfilling our social responsibilities by creating employment opportunities and improving courier welfare,” Meituan stated in its earnings report.

Avride Partners with Hyundai to Expand Robotaxi Fleet

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Self-driving technology startup Avride has announced a strategic partnership with Hyundai Motor Co to expand its fleet of robotaxis. Under the deal, Avride will incorporate 100 Hyundai IONIQ 5 cars into its fleet this year, with plans to grow further by 2026 as the company seeks to enhance its autonomous vehicle services and expand into new regions.

Avride, based in Texas, is joining a growing group of companies advancing autonomous vehicle technology and expanding their fleet of robotaxis. This includes Tesla, which is preparing to launch its own autonomous ride-hailing service in California and Texas, and Alphabet’s Waymo, which recently rolled out its robotaxi service on Uber’s platform in Austin.

As part of the partnership, Avride’s IONIQ 5 cars will be retrofitted with the company’s self-driving technology and used exclusively on Uber’s platform in Dallas, Texas. These vehicles will be manufactured at Hyundai’s Metaplant facility in Georgia, and the two companies also aim to explore autonomous delivery services using Avride’s technology.

Avride’s connection with Hyundai is not new, as the startup was previously part of Russian company Yandex’s self-driving division and has collaborated with Hyundai’s automotive supply unit in the past to develop systems for autonomous vehicles.