Nuro Begins Commercial AV Deliveries in Los Angeles with Uber Eats
Autonomous delivery company Nuro has received approval to begin commercial operations in Los Angeles using its purpose-built electric vehicles. The launch is part of a 10-year partnership with Uber Eats to integrate Nuro's AVs into its delivery network, as Uber also prepares to launch its own robotaxi services in the city.
- Nuro's core technology, the "Nuro Driver," is an AI-first self-driving system built on the NVIDIA DRIVE Thor platform, which is designed to enable up to Level 4 autonomy for both delivery vehicles and passenger cars. This represents a strategic shift for the company, which now focuses on licensing its software to partners rather than manufacturing its own vehicles. - The company was founded by Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson, both former principal engineers from Google's self-driving car project, which later became Waymo. Before this Los Angeles launch, Nuro gained significant operational experience through pilot programs in Houston, Texas, and the Bay Area communities of Mountain View and Palo Alto. - This commercial deployment in California is possible because Nuro was one of the first three companies to receive an autonomous deployment permit from the state's DMV, allowing it to operate its vehicles on public roads for commercial purposes. California regulations require AV manufacturers to define an Operational Design Domain (ODD), specifying the conditions and areas where the vehicles can safely operate without a human driver. - The vehicle used for these deliveries, likely the R2 model, is a zero-occupant electric vehicle designed specifically for cargo. It has a top speed of 25 mph, a payload capacity of 419 lbs, and navigates without a steering wheel, pedals, or side-view mirrors, having received the first-ever autonomous vehicle exemption from the NHTSA. - This launch deepens Uber's multi-pronged AV strategy in Los Angeles. In addition to food delivery, Uber is preparing to launch a robotaxi service in the city with Volkswagen and another with Nuro and Lucid Motors, while also investing $100 million to build fast-charging hubs for autonomous vehicles in LA and other key markets. - Nuro's software has transitioned to an "AI-first" approach, relying heavily on machine learning for all aspects of its AV stack, from perception to behavior. This includes a shift from rotating lidar to more cost-effective, automotive-grade solid-state lidar sensors.
