Uber Technologies and Nuro, an autonomous vehicle technology company, have agreed a multi-year partnership to use Nuro’s autonomous, electric vehicles for food deliveries in the United States.
Uber Eats consumers will be able to order meals and goods delivered by Nuro’s zero-occupant autonomous delivery vehicles, which run on public roads and are built specifically to carry food and other goods.
The partnership will kick off this fall with deliveries in Houston, Texas and Mountain View, California. Uber and Nuro plan to expand the service to the greater Bay Area.
Noah Zych, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery at Uber, says: “Nuro and Uber share a vision in which technology can make everyday life just a little bit easier.
“Nuro’s distinctive autonomous vehicles are a great match for the Uber platform, and this partnership will bring a compelling combination of innovation alongside the convenience, affordability and reliability our customers and merchants have come to expect.”
The partnership highlights the rapidly growing potential for last-mile autonomous delivery of meals, groceries, and other goods and opens up autonomous delivery technology to Uber Eats merchants/restaurants of all sizes.
It also serves as an opportunity for Uber and Nuro to join forces to support local businesses and strengthen local commerce.
Cosimo Leipold, head of partnerships at Nuro, says: “Our partnership with Uber underscores Nuro’s track record of partnering with the world’s leading brands to make autonomous delivery a seamless experience.
“With our unique autonomous delivery vehicles and Uber’s phenomenal scale and reach, we can expand food delivery options from your favorite local mom-and-pop restaurants all the way to nationwide chains.”
Nuro was the first company to achieve fully autonomous vehicle operations in three states (Arizona, California, and Texas), and also the first to obtain an autonomous deployment permit from the California DMV.
It remains one of only three companies to be granted the permit to date. Nuro’s delivery vehicles are built with other road users’ safety in mind. They can help reduce emissions from car trips and other traditional delivery options that use gas-powered vehicles, leading to cleaner air and better public health outcomes.
Nuro’s collaboration with Uber follows multiple strategic partnerships with market leaders in grocery, restaurant, parcel logistics, and convenience.
Uber’s partnership with Nuro is an expansion of the company’s efforts across autonomous mobility and delivery and is expected to unlock greater innovation for consumers and merchant partners in Mountain View and Houston.
Uber Eats delivers instant access to local commerce, helping people across the world discover restaurants and merchants, order meals, groceries, alcohol, and more at the touch of a button—and get it delivered reliably and quickly.
The business leverages Uber’s technology and logistics expertise to partner with 825,000 merchants in 11,000+ cities globally, while keeping average delivery time under 30 minutes.
