Autonomous vehicle startup Nuro is rolling out a test fleet of its driverless, passenger-less R3 vehicles across the Bay Area and Houston. This marks a significant expansion of Nuro’s testing operations, following a strategic shift toward licensing its autonomous vehicle (AV) technology to automakers and mobility providers. The initiative, which began two months after Nuro’s pivot, aims to showcase its AV technology to potential customers in both the automotive and delivery sectors.
Nuro, which has raised over $2 billion from investors such as Tiger Global Management and SoftBank Vision Fund, initially planned to operate a fleet of low-speed delivery robots for last-mile services. After a series of cost-cutting measures, including multiple layoffs, the company abandoned plans to mass-produce the R3 and shifted its focus to licensing its technology. The R3 was designed as a next-generation autonomous vehicle for goods delivery, having already undergone pilot programs with companies like Domino’s and FedEx.
The test fleet’s expansion will include trials in Palo Alto and Mountain View, California, as well as Houston, with vehicles now capable of traveling at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. The new technology will be tested in increasingly complex driving scenarios, including emergency vehicle interactions, navigating construction zones, and responding to school buses — all without relying on a remote safety operator.
“This test represents a major step forward in Nuro’s journey towards building a scalable, safe, and cost-effective autonomous system,” said Nuro Chief Operating Officer Andrew Chapin. “For the first time, our vehicles will be tested at night and will operate on all roads, excluding freeways, with no safety driver present.” This expanded scope of testing, Chapin added, marks a new milestone in demonstrating the capabilities of Nuro’s autonomous technology.
