Nuro has obtained a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to begin driverless testing of Lucid Gravity SUVs on public roads. The vehicles are being prepared for use in a premium robotaxi service led by Uber.
The California DMV confirmed to TechCrunch on Tuesday that it has modified Nuro’s existing driverless autonomous vehicle permit to include the Lucid Gravity model. While the permit is now active, the Silicon Valley startup is not yet ready to remove human operators from the vehicles.
Nuro has held a driverless permit in the state for six years, but its previous scope was limited to low-speed delivery vehicles. The company recently abandoned that delivery program to focus on licensing its autonomous technology to partners like Uber.
Regulatory hurdles ahead
Nuro spokesperson David Salguermando told TechCrunch that the company expects to begin driverless testing later this year, though he did not provide a specific date. Currently, Nuro and Uber are conducting tests in autonomous mode with a human safety operator present in the driver's seat.
This permit represents only one part of the regulatory framework Nuro must navigate. Before the robotaxi service can launch, the company must also secure a driverless ride-hailing permit from the California Public Utilities Commission and a formal deployment permit from the DMV.
Uber has already begun expanding its internal testing of the technology. Last month, the company allowed Uber employees to request autonomous rides in the Lucid-based robotaxis through the Uber app, though human safety drivers remain on board for these trips.
