Uber has partnered with autonomous vehicle maker Nuro to use driverless electric cars to deliver food for Uber Eats, the companies announced recently.
The trial run will take place this fall in Houston and Mountain View, California. Uber plans to expand driverless delivery to the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Nuro’s distinctive autonomous vehicles are a great match for the Uber platform, and this partnership will bring a compelling combination of innovation alongside the convenience, affordability and reliability our customers and merchants have come to expect,” Noah Zych, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, said in Thursday’s announcement.
Nuro was the first company in its field to operate fully autonomous vehicles in California, Texas and Arizona, and the first to receive an autonomous deployment permit for its vehicles in California.
“With our unique autonomous delivery vehicles and Uber’s phenomenal scale and reach, we can expand food delivery options from your favorite local mom-and-pop restaurants all the way to nationwide chains,” Cosimo Leipold, Nuro’s Head of Partnerships, said in the statement.
There is no set date for the beginning of autonomous delivery in Houston and Mountain View.
“We’ve got to finish the technical integration between the two companies and then get merchants signed up. … The focus is very much going to be restaurants because that’s where I think we can get going the fastest and in the most material way,” Mr. Leipold told the Mountain View Voice.
Customers could save with the use of the Nuro vehicles because they cannot take tips.
“Customers won’t know at the time of their order whether they’re getting their own delivery or whether it’s a typical courier delivery. If the Eats customer pre-selects the tip option and Nuro makes the delivery, that tip will be refunded,” according to TechCrunch.
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