Pizza Hut and Toyota Develop Robotic Pizza Making Delivery Truck

Pizza Hut and Toyota have joined forces to develop Tundra PIE Pro, a zero-emission mobile pizza factor that can deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes.

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut and Toyota have joined forces to develop Tundra PIE Pro, a zero-emission mobile pizza factor that can deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes. The truck was first introduced at Toyota's 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show presentation.

"We are constantly focused on evolving our processes and systems through improvements and innovations that allow our team members and drivers to better serve our customers," says Nicolas Burquier, chief customer and operations office for Pizza Hut U.S. "We are exploring next-generation solutions and automation to support and streamline our delivery business in the future. The Tundra PIE Pro and our work with Toyota are only helping accelerate our commitment to transform both the team member and the customer experience at Pizza Hut."

The Tundra PIE Pro features a truck bed that can be converted into a virtual pizza factor on wheels. The bed, also known as The Kitchen, contains a refrigerator, a pair of computer-guided robotic arms and portable conveyor oven. All components in The Kitchen are powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain. The pizza making process only takes six to seven minutes from start to finish. 

Built to make pizza on the go, the truck presents an untapped opportunity for the restaurant to expand its delivery radius without compromising the quality of the pizza. 

The starting point for the Tundra PIE Pro was a Tundra SR5 that was torn down to a bare rolling chassis and then reassembled from the ground up. The conventional gasoline-powered drivetrain was removed and replaced with a hydrogen fuel-cell electric power unit adapted from the Toyota Mirai. 

When a pizza is ordered, the first robotic arm opens the refrigerator and removes the selected pizza, placing it on the oven conveyor and returns to close the refrigerator door. The pizza is then sent through a high-speed ventless oven. On the far side, a second arm removes the finished pie, places it on the cutting board and divides it into six identical slices, boxes it up and delivers to the customer. 


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