CINCINNATI  — Kroger Co. has expanded its collaboration with the autonomous delivery vehicle company Nuro, the companies announced on Wednesday.

“Our expanded collaboration with Nuro supports Kroger’s commitment to provide fresh food, at a great value – all without asking our customers to compromise,” said Yael Cosset, Kroger’s senior vice president and chief information officer. “The role of autonomous vehicles in our seamless ecosystem continues to increase, contributing to meeting our customers in the context of their day without compromising on the quality or value, while contributing to our long-term growth and sustainability goals.”

Kroger and Nuro in 2018 announced a partnership to deliver fresh groceries with all-electric, autonomous vehicles.

Kroger said Wednesday that it will continue to grow its digital offerings in Houston, leveraging Nuro’s new third-generation vehicles.

“We are excited to expand our collaboration with Nuro here in Houston, one of the largest cities in the U.S.,” said Laura Gump, president of Kroger’s Houston division. “Our associates, customers and city embrace innovation and we are thrilled to be able to soon provide this enterprising grocery delivery service to even more shoppers across the region.”

The expanded collaboration is a key part of Kroger’s efforts to create a seamless ecosystem to support its customers, making it simple for them to find the grocery items they crave without compromising on freshness or value. The retailer’s seamless ecosystem supports customers who want to shop online, in-store or a combination of both to support the needs of each day.

The all-electric, autonomous vehicles also support Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social and environmental impact plan, a commitment to help build communities free of hunger and waste. Kroger said the use of all-electric vehicles is aligned with its commitment to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions, while allowing customers to choose delivery options that help them reduce their climate impacts.

Nuro said it was excited to be a part of that effort.

“We are thrilled to expand our longstanding strategic partnership with Kroger and further our shared vision for the future of goods delivery,” Nuro co-founder and president Dave Ferguson said. “We look forward to leveraging our third-generation, and most advanced, autonomous vehicle to date to continue to build on the success of this program.”