- The Nuro R2 is a self-driving delivery vehicle that will transport goods instead of passengers.
- The vehicle will begin testing on public roads in Houston in the coming weeks.
- The exemption from NHTSA and the DOT means the vehicle doesn't need a windshield or side mirrors.
Autonomous vehicles are more than just robotaxis and long-haul trucking ventures. The future of having goods delivered to your home is also more than likely going to be unmanned. To that end, delivery-vehicle startup Nuro’s R2 was just awarded the first exemption by NHTSA and the DOT. A big deal for a tiny car.
That means in the coming weeks, the Nuro R2 will be testing on public roads in Houston, Texas. The vehicle is meant for what's known as last-mile delivery use to carry things like flowers, pizza, groceries, and items from local stores to customers. Soon you could be grabbing a delicious extra-large pepperoni from the inside of a robot.
The R2 is not meant to transport humans. Instead, its precious cargo will be consumers' preselected goods. When the R2 pulls up to a destination, customers can open one of two hatches on the right side of the vehicle to take delivery of their products or food.
Thanks to the exemption and because it won’t have passengers, the vehicle can be designed without side mirrors or a windshield. Instead, a suite of cameras will offer up a 360-degree view of the world for the R2.
According to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, "Certain features that the department traditionally required—such as mirrors and windshield for vehicles carrying drivers—no longer make sense."
But the vehicle will have to keep detailed records of the vehicle’s deployment. In its report about the regulatory exemption, the government agency stated:
"Given the R2's unique and novel design . . . NHTSA has determined that it would be in the public interest to maintain greater oversight of the R2 than typical for an exempt vehicle, and has conditioned the exemption on a set of terms including mandatory reporting of information about the operation of the R2 (including the automated driving system) and required outreach to the communities where the R2 will be deployed." We'll look forward to seeing more detail about that.
The first-generation Nuro vehicle, known as the R1, began testing in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2018. Since then, the company has updated the design and now, it seems, has wooed the government with its technology. Houston residents can expect to see the R2 on their streets in the coming weeks.