In a significant advancement for autonomous vehicle technology, Nuro has secured an updated permit from California's DMV, allowing the company to conduct tests of its Lucid Gravity robotaxis on public roads. This development supports Uber's ambitious objective to deploy 100,000 driverless vehicles across the United States, with plans for up to 35,000 utilizing Nuro's self-driving capabilities.
Testing is expected to commence later this year, with the robotaxis operating without human drivers at speeds reaching 45 mph in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Previously, the vehicles were limited to operations with a human safety driver and restricted to Uber employees. Nuro, which is also supported by NVIDIA and Toyota, aims to enhance its presence in the autonomous vehicle sector, having already received permission for driverless deliveries using its R3 Nuro Robot vehicle.
At the recent CES 2026, Nuro and Uber revealed the design of their robotaxi, which integrates advanced sensor technology and offers a luxurious interior for passengers. In addition, Nuro is testing its robotaxis in Tokyo with human drivers as a backup. As part of its latest earnings report, Lucid announced plans to launch the robotaxi service later this year and disclosed that Uber increased its investment to $500 million while raising its vehicle order from 20,000 to 35,000 units.