Nuro obtains driverless permit for Lucid Gravity SUVs on California public roads
Uber has expanded its agreement to purchase a minimum of 35,000 robotaxi-ready vehicles
Nuro, the Silicon Valley-based autonomous vehicle startup, has achieved a significant regulatory milestone after the California Department of Motor Vehicles modified its testing permit.
The agency confirmed to TechCrunch on Tuesday that Nuro is now authorised to conduct driverless testing of Lucid Gravity SUVs on public roads.
While Nuro has held a driverless permit for six years, it previously only applied to low-speed delivery vehicles.
This latest modification allows the company to operate the high-performance Lucid SUVs without a human safety operator behind the wheel.
The project is a central component of Uber’s upcoming premium robotaxi service, which is powered by Nuro’s autonomous system and Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer.
Despite the permit approval, Nuro spokesperson David Salguero noted that the company is "not quite ready to begin" immediate driverless operations, with testing expected to start later this year.
Currently, Nuro and Uber are conducting tests with human safety operators, a program that was recently expanded to allow Uber employees to request autonomous rides in Lucid robotaxis through the Uber app.
Uber has significantly bolstered its commitment to the partnership, increasing its investment in Lucid to $500 million and expanding its order to 35,000 robotaxis.
This fleet will include 10,000 Gravity SUVs and 25,000 vehicles from Lucid’s upcoming mid-size platform. During a first-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, Lucid executives disclosed that 75 engineering vehicles have already been delivered.
The electric vehicle maker maintains it is on track for commercial robotaxi operations to commence in late 2026, marking a pivotal shift in the autonomous ride-hailing market.