Autos giant Peugeot is trialing driverless tech — with a twist — for Amazon-style deliveries

PARIS, France — French car giant Peugeot told CNBC this week that it's partnering with Vay, a German mobility startup, to integrate so-called "teledriving" tech — an alternative to autonomous cars — into its vehicles. 

The deal will see the two companies assess the use of Vay's teledriving tech on "last-mile delivery" vans and smaller logistics vehicles, with a focus on business-to-business (B2B) customers. 

The idea is to recreate the journey a delivery vehicle typically takes from an order fulfillment center to households or businesses, similar to the widely-known model already offered by Amazon — only this time with remote-controlled cars.

The first pilot test drives of Vay's technology with Peugeot vehicles are expected to take place this year. Peugeot is looking to include the tech in its E-3008 electric SUVs and some electric vans.

The partnership has been 18 months in the making, Justin Spratt, Vay's chief business officer, told CNBC via emailed comments, adding that it selected Peugeot as its first OEM partner for integration of its teledriving tech due to its "innovative standing and wider customer demographic."

Spratt said its deal with Peugeot will "showcase how delivery operations can be made more efficient — as vehicles can be delivered on demand, redistributed and taken to cleaning and charging — in a more cost-effective way."

"Teledriven" vehicles are a little like massive remote-controlled cars — only they're big enough to fit a person inside.

Unlike self-driving cars — which can drive themselves without a human controlling the vehicle — teledriven cars are driven remotely by human operators using a live feed of the environment surrounding the car.

Teledrivers undergo several weeks of rigorous training and