INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Autonomous delivery startup Nuro has been granted a permit to begin driverless testing on California public roads, paving the way for the
company to roll out commercial operations throughout the state.
Nuro, which raised $940 million from SoftBank Vision Fund last year, is
allowed to put two of its low-speed electric R2 delivery vehicles on public roads in parts of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, according
to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the agency that regulates autonomous vehicle testing in the state.
The driverless permit
allows the vehicles to operate at a maximum speed of 25 mph and only in fair weather conditions on streets with a speed limit of no more
than 35 mph, the DMV said Tuesday
The permit covers nine cities, including Atherton, East Palo Alto, Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto,
Sunnyvale and Woodside.
&The safety of the motoring public is the DMV top priority, and we do not give out these permits lightly,& DMV
Director Steve Gordon said in statement
&Nuro has met the DMV requirements to receive this permit to test their driverless delivery vehicles on California public roads.&
Nuro won&t
start its driverless testing right away due to stay-at-home orders issued by Gov
Gavin Newsom because of the spreading COVID-19 pandemic
The company will be actively engaging in logistical planning for the day public roads testing can begin, Nuro chief legal and policy officer
David Estrada said in a blog post Tuesday
&Our hope is that residents of neighboring cities and counties will see R2 on the road soon,& he said.
A path to commercialization
While 65
companies have an active permit to test autonomous vehicles with a human safety driver, Waymo, and now Nuro, are the only companies allowed
to operate driverless vehicles on California public roads.
Nuro might end up being the first company to actually use it
Waymo, the former Google self-driving project that spun out to become a business under Alphabet, received the first permit in October 2018
However, the company has never conducted driverless testing on public roads there
Instead, Waymo has focused its efforts on Arizona, where it already operates a robotaxi service called Waymo One and it has a clearer
commercial path.
In California, the commercial path is muddled for most AV developers
Under state law, the DMV regulates autonomous vehicle testing
If a company wants to transport passengers — essentially operating a ride-hailing service — it must get an Autonomous Vehicle Passenger
Service pilot permit from the California Public Utilities Commission.
The CPUC lets companies use their self-driving vehicles to transport
However, they can&t charge for rides and the vehicles must have safety drivers behind the wheel.
Nuro R2 vehicle isn&t designed for people,
While the company can&t charge a delivery fee, it can generate revenue by working with local retailers to launch a commercial delivery
business using the autonomous vehicles.
Nuro will start with free deliveries to select customers in Mountain View and the surrounding area,
Estrada said, adding that this will allow a formal delivery service in partnership with local brands and retailers.
The company already has
its eyes on a statewide delivery service
Estrada said Nuro will apply for a full commercial deployment permit to bring its services to California residents throughout the
state.
&Putting our driverless R2 delivery vehicles on the road will be an important first for our company and the self-driving industry
But it is just a glimmer of what is to come,& Estrada said
&We have always believed in the transformative power of autonomous vehicles, and in the climate of COVID-19 we understand their potential
even more deeply.&
Nuro R2 unit
Image Credits:
Nuro was founded in June 2016 by Google alums Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu
The company was issued an AV testing permit — with a human safety operator — in 2017
Initially, the company used modified Toyota Prius sedans for testing as well as for pilot grocery deliveries in Arizona and Texas.
The
company transitioned in December 2018 to the R1, the first step towards a vehicle designed exclusively for packages.
It second-generation
vehicle called the R2 was introduced in February 2020
The R2, which was designed and assembled in the U.S
in partnership with Michigan-based Roush Enterprises, is equipped with lidar, radar and cameras to give the &driver& a 360-degree view of
However, it is missing a few features typically required by the U.S
Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
After three years of working with regulators, Nuro received a
driverless exemption from NHTSA for its R2 vehicle
The exemption allows the vehicle to operate even though it doesn&t have side-view mirrors, a windshield and a rear-view camera that shuts
off when driving forward.
This exemption is different from the one that GM is currently pursuing for its self-driving unit Cruise
That vehicle, which is not considered a low-speed vehicle, has a much longer list of exemptions.
