Ride-sharing veteran Uber Technologies Inc. has announced a long-term partnership with self-driving car developer Nuro Inc. to use the company’s driverless electric vehicles to deliver food to Uber Eats customers across the U.S. The 10-year agreement will begin in Texas and California this fall and be expanded later.
As pioneers of the ride-sharing revolution that began over a decade ago, Uber Technologies (UBER) continues to grow and adapt to a world that values reduced carbon emissions and instant gratification, like getting tacos delivered to your doorstep when you’re too hungover to walk three blocks (you know who you are).
Uber started as a black-tinted ride-hailing service to combat the low customer satisfaction of taxis at the time, but has now grown into a mobility tech giant offering a range of ride-hailing services including Uber Green, Uber Pet and Uber Eats for food and grocery delivery.
In the ride-sharing space, Uber is partnering with EV companies around the world to electrify its vehicle fleet, including all-electric bikes from Opibus in Kenya and Tesla Model 3s in the US and Europe. Uber is also working with Arrival to develop a ride-sharing-only EV, though the project is on hold as the UK startup focuses on offering electric vans first.
As for Uber Eats, the company is already delivering meals to customers in Southern California as part of a pilot program with robotaxi company Motional, a Hyundai Motor Group joint venture, using self-driving IONIQ 5 electric vehicles. Since May, the two companies have been piloting Uber Eats deliveries, analyzing customer feedback and collaborating to develop an autonomous food delivery model that could eventually be expanded across Los Angeles and other cities.
Now, Uber Eats is taking self-driving food delivery one step further by eliminating drivers entirely. Check out Nuro’s self-driving delivery EV below.
Uber Eats teams up with Nuro for automated delivery
Uber Technologies today announced its latest expansion into autonomous mobility via a press release, explaining why a 10-year partnership with Nuro makes sense for both parties: As the first fully autonomous vehicle developer with operations in three separate states (Arizona, California, and Texas), Nuro is something of a trailblazer in its own right.
Uber believes Nuro’s driverless EVs can provide a sustainable solution for Uber Eats and other services to support the growing market for last-mile delivery of food, groceries and other packages. For reference, the Uber Eats network currently consists of 825,000 participating businesses in more than 11,000 cities around the world.
Uber also made the laudable claim that the new partnership is expected to help support local businesses and commerce that are still recovering from the constraints brought on by the pandemic. Cosimo Leipold, head of partnerships at Nuro, further stated:
Our partnership with Uber highlights Nuro’s track record of partnering with the world’s leading brands to make autonomous delivery a seamless experience. With our unique fleet of autonomous delivery vehicles and Uber’s incredible scale and reach, we can expand food delivery options to everyone, from your favorite local independent restaurants to national chains.
Zero-rider Uber Eats deliveries are set to begin this fall in Houston, Texas, and Mountain View, California. Uber and Nuro say they already have plans to expand to the Bay Area as well. As the third state that now allows Nuro’s self-driving EVs to operate, we can expect to see deliveries in Arizona as well, though that hasn’t been confirmed by either company at this time.
Can someone please order some Thai food and film the Nuro EV arriving? I’d love to see it!
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