Nuro, Inc. is an American autonomous vehicle technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Founded in 2016 by former Waymo engineers Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson, the company initially developed custom electric delivery vehicles designed for local commerce. It became the first company to receive an autonomous vehicle exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Since September 2024, Nuro has shifted its business model to focus on licensing its proprietary Level 4 driving system, known as Nuro Driver, to automakers and mobility providers.
The company's technology relies heavily on Artificial intelligence and Machine learning to enable safe, driverless operation in complex urban environments. Nuro's vehicles are designed without steering wheels, pedals, or side mirrors, reflecting a purpose-built approach to autonomous delivery and passenger transport.
Founding and Early Development
Jiajun Zhu and Dave Ferguson both worked on Google's self-driving car project, which later became Waymo. Zhu served as principal software engineer, while Ferguson joined in 2011 as principal machine learning engineer. They left Waymo in 2016 and founded Nuro in September of that year.
The company officially launched in January 2018, unveiling its first product: an electric self-driving local commerce delivery vehicle. The vehicle, known as the R1, weighed 1,500 pounds (680 kg) and stood just over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, approximately half the width of a sedan. It was designed exclusively for cargo, with space for 12 grocery bags in its first model. Initial funding of $92 million came from Greylock Partners and Gaorong Capital.
Delivery Partnerships and Pilots
In June 2018, Nuro announced its first partnership with Kroger to test fully autonomous grocery delivery. The pilot launched on August 16, 2018, in Scottsdale, Arizona, at a Fry's Food and Drug store. Initially, self-driving Toyota Prius cars were used for the pilot. On December 18, 2018, the R1 was officially introduced into the pilot program.
In February 2019, Nuro raised $940 million from SoftBank Group, valuing the company at $2.7 billion. On June 17, 2019, Nuro announced a partnership with Domino's Pizza to launch autonomous pizza delivery in Houston later that year.
In February 2020, Nuro began testing the R2, its second-generation self-driving vehicle, in Houston, Texas. The R2 had no steering wheel, side view mirrors, or pedals. In April 2020, Nuro announced that R2 prototypes were being used to transport medical supplies around medical facilities in California during the early pandemic period. The company began prescription delivery through CVS Pharmacy in May 2020.
In November 2020, Nuro raised $500 million in a Series C funding round led by T. Rowe Price, with a post-money valuation of $5 billion. In December 2020, Nuro acquired self-driving trucking startup Ike Robotics, with over 55 Ike employees joining Nuro's staff.
Expansion and Manufacturing
In August 2021, Nuro announced a $40 million investment to construct a manufacturing facility and test track for its self-driving robot vehicles in southern Nevada. In December 2021, Nuro partnered to commercially deliver 7-Eleven goods.
In September 2022, Uber and Nuro announced a 10-year partnership for autonomous food deliveries, starting in California and Texas. In November 2022, Nuro laid off 20 percent of its staff, approximately 300 employees. In May 2023, Nuro paused commercial expansion to focus on autonomy systems and laid off 30 percent of its staff, approximately 340 employees.
Nuro Driver and Business Model Pivot
In February 2024, Nuro launched a collaboration with Arm Holdings to develop its third-generation autonomous delivery vehicle. In September 2024, Nuro announced a major business model pivot, shifting from operating its own delivery fleets to licensing its technology.
The Nuro Driver is an AI-based, self-driving software system capable of enabling up to Level 4 autonomy for robotaxis, personally owned autonomous vehicles, and driverless goods delivery. In November 2024, Nuro Driver expanded its L4 driverless capabilities using zero-occupant vehicles.
In April 2025, Nuro expanded to Japan, launching its first international data-collection initiative. This deployment was designed to improve Nuro Driver's AI model through exposure to local traffic dynamics. In May 2025, Nuro began on-road autonomous testing on the Las Vegas Strip.
Robotaxi Partnership and Recent Funding
In July 2025, Nuro established a partnership with Uber and Lucid Motors to launch a robotaxi fleet. Under the agreement, Uber would purchase and operate Lucid Gravity SUV vehicles outfitted with Nuro Driver autonomous driving technology. The partnership anticipated launching its first vehicle in 2026, with plans to deploy at least 20,000 robotaxis over the following six years.
In April 2025, Nuro opened a $106 million Series E funding round. In August 2025, it closed the Series E round with an additional $97 million, bringing the total to $203 million at a $6 billion valuation. Investors included Uber and Nvidia, alongside returning backers.
Technology and Approach
Nuro's approach to autonomous driving relies on a combination of sensors, Deep learning models, and neural networks to perceive and navigate the environment. The company's vehicles are designed to operate without human occupants, which allows for unique design choices such as reduced vehicle size and the removal of traditional driver controls.
The Nuro Driver system is intended to be adaptable across different vehicle platforms, allowing automakers and mobility providers to integrate the technology into their own products. This licensing model represents a significant shift from Nuro's earlier strategy of building and operating its own delivery vehicles.