Nuro Brings Commercial Autonomous Delivery to California for the First Time, Starting with 7-Eleven
Today, we’re thrilled to announce that we are partnering with one of the world’s most iconic convenience retailers, 7-Eleven, to introduce California’s first commercial autonomous delivery service. We also couldn’t be more excited to share that this important moment will happen right here in the place that Nuro calls home: our Mountain View community. Mountain View residents within the service area will be able to order through 7-Eleven’s 7NOW delivery app to get their products delivered autonomously. The delivery service will begin with our fleet of Prius vehicles in fully autonomous mode, followed by our custom-designed electric R2 autonomous vehicles.
When Dave and I founded Nuro in 2016, we wanted to think beyond making cars that could drive themselves. Instead, we wanted to challenge the assumptions around how and why we all use vehicles in the first place. Our goal was to transform the way everyone gets access to the things they need — allowing people to remain safely at home while their groceries, medicines, and packages are brought to them.
But we also wanted to build a vehicle that met our values: a vehicle that could drive safely, reduce emissions, and positively impact the quality of life for diverse communities across the country.
This approach to vehicle design meant that we had to build not just the vehicle itself, but also the public trust and regulatory frameworks that would enable us to operate on public roads. Since then, we have seen steady progress that started with the State of California’s update to autonomous vehicle regulations, specifically the inclusion of vehicles designed and operated for goods delivery, which was then followed by the first testing permit ever granted for a zero-occupant vehicle in California.
In addition to these important state level achievements, we also received the first regulatory exemption for a self-driving vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which granted federal permission to operate a reimagined type of vehicle on public roads in the United States. Finally, in December 2020, we received the first-ever deployment permit for self-driving vehicles issued by California to operate a commercial service, providing the final approval needed to operate R2 commercially with regulatory certainty.
This idea that Dave and I had, to reimagine vehicles and what they can do, is starting to see results in local communities. But since this is a brand new technology and type of vehicle, we also know it’s really important to introduce people to our service. This is why we talk to city leaders, community groups, and members of the public before, during, and after we launch our service — because building a service that people love and trust requires us to meet them where they are.
We have provided demonstrations at our headquarters for Mountain View and other Bay Area elected and city leaders, first responders, school groups, and the business community. Nuro team members meet with local residents at neighborhood association meetings, community events — such as the Art and Wine Festival and Chamber of Commerce Technology Showcase — and in meetings of local bicycle safety, climate advocacy, and transportation policy groups. We also created a Law Enforcement Interaction Plan as the foundation for engaging with law enforcement and first responders who are responsible for keeping us safe on a daily basis to build familiarity with our vehicles and how to interact with them.
With the announcement of our first commercial deployment with 7-Eleven, Nuro is embarking on a real path towards the widespread deployment of our service. We look forward to building on our steady momentum as we look to grow into more and more communities in the near future — hopefully one you call home.
