Nuro gets permit to deploy autonomous vehicles on public streets

In April 2020, Nuro became the second autonomous vehicle company to receive a driverless testing permit in California. Now, the latest permit allows the company to operate commercially on California roads in two counties near its headquarters in the Bay Area. The service will start with Nuro's fleet of Prius vehicles in fully autonomous mode, followed by its custom-designed electric R2 vehicles.

American robotics company Nuro has received a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to deploy its autonomous vehicles (AVs) on public streets, making it the first company to get this commercial deployment permit.

The California DMV has crafted a regulatory framework that set up a three-stage permitting process for AV companies to move from testing with a safety driver, to driverless testing and finally to commercial deployment.

In April 2020, Nuro became the second autonomous vehicle company to receive a driverless testing permit in California. Now, the latest permit allows the company to operate commercially on California roads in two counties near its headquarters in the Bay Area. The service will start with Nuro's fleet of Prius vehicles in fully autonomous mode, followed by its custom-designed electric R2 vehicles.

While Nuro's Prius vehicles have human operators monitoring their autonomous system, its R2 vehicle is a self-driving, driver-less and passenger-less delivery vehicle, purposefully designed to transport goods with full safety.

"Driverless delivery will have a big impact on Californians in the coming years. Services like Nuro's will provide contactless access to goods in our communities. A parent in Mountain View will be able to get the week’s groceries delivered, without bundling the family into the car. A grandmother in East Palo Alto will gain access to affordable home delivery of everyday necessities. And a young woman in San Jose will get the opportunity to start a new career overseeing the operation of a driverless fleet of vehicles that will deliver on these promises," David Estrada, Chief Legal & Policy Officer at Nuro, wrote in a blog post.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nuro's unmanned R2 vehicles delivered food, medicine and other essentials for the front line workers and patients to remove any possible interaction between humans and help slow the spread of the virus.