Your next pizza could be delivered by an electric vehicle.
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Domino’s Pizza Inc. announced Monday that it will roll out a fleet of nearly 800 Chevy Bolt electric vehicles around the country to deliver pizza orders — the largest such EV delivery effort.
Doing so offers advantages for the company, executives said in a news release, including ample battery life allowing for the potential to have days of deliveries on one charge, zero tailpipe emissions, advanced safety features and lower average maintenance costs than nonelectric vehicles.
Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner pointed out that Domino’s first launched pizza delivery in 1960 with a Volkswagen Beetle, and in 2015 tested autonomous vehicles for delivery.
“Domino’s has always been on the cutting edge of pizza delivery and electric delivery cars make sense as vehicle technology continues to evolve,” Weiner said in the release. “We’ve made a commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and this is one way we can begin reducing our environmental impact, one delivery at a time.”
Domino’s, which has nearly 20,000 stores, already delivers with electric bikes and/or scooters in 24 international markets, including the U.S., it said in the release. The addition of the EVs could help attract delivery drivers who don’t have their own vehicles.
The company has 12 Bolt EVs on the road in Michigan and expects to grow that to 93 by the end of next year, according to a graphic from the pizza company.
The spokesperson declined to provide an overall investment figure. The 2023 Bolts start at around $25,600 each, according to the General Motors Co. website. Franchisers will acquire the vehicles through a lease-to-own model.
“We’re excited that Domino’s has chosen the Chevrolet Bolt EV to build their electric pizza delivery fleet in the U.S.,” Ed Peper, vice president of GM Fleet, said in the release. “Both companies are committed to bettering our environment. GM plans to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new U.S. light-duty vehicles by 2035. With an affordable price, fun driving characteristics, and a 259-mile range, the Chevy Bolt EV is the future of Domino’s electrified deliveries.”