ArduinoMania

Walmart has big plans for its InHome delivery service in 2022, aiming to expand it from 6 million households to 30 million by the end of the year. To achieve that, it will hire more than 3,000 full-time associate delivery drivers and build out a fleet of all-electric delivery vans. 

The InHome service, which handles more than 160,000 items from 3,400 stores, first launched in 2019. Since then, it's been operating in select markets at a fee of $19.95 per month or $148 per year, a bit more than the $119 you pay for Amazon Prime membership. However, Walmart notes that tips for associates are built into the fee. 

Once signed up, you can order items from the Walmart app and select InHome as the preferred delivery method. Drivers can unlock the customer's door using a one-time access code, with a vest-worn camera recording the entire delivery. You can use your own smart lock or purchase one from InHome for $50. 

Walmart said that the new associate delivery driver position is full-time and includes benefits like medical, vision and dental insurance, 401K matching, paid time off and free college degrees. Drivers also get paid a $1.50/hour premium compared to other store workers. 

The company plans to equip those workers with a fleet of all-electric vans. It has yet to specify exactly which delivery vehicles it will use, though it has tested EV's used by GM's Cruise division and autonomous, electric box trucks employed by a startup called Gatik. Walmart said it will make InHome delivery service accessible to 30 million households by the end of the year, reaching around 70 percent of the US population.