Self-Driving Delivery Vehicle Company Nuro To Build Test Track, Facility In Las Vegas
Driverless delivery vehicle company Nuro announced Thursday that Las Vegas will be the site of its first factory and closed course test-track. The Silicon Valley-based startup is investing $40 million into the project.
“This is a significant moment for Nuro. Building on our tremendous momentum—including strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Domino’s, Kroger, and FedEx and operations in three states—we are now able to invest in the infrastructure to build tens of thousands of robots,” Nuro CEO Jiajun Zhu said in a press release.
Nuro vehicles require zero-occupancy and use public roads.
The test track will be located on 74 acres of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 125,000 square-foot manufacturing plant will be located about seven miles from the speedway on 80 acres of land.
At the facility, vehicles will be fitted with various sensors and lidar — a sensing method that sends pulses of laser light to determine the presence, shape, and distance of objects — to have them road-ready, said co-founder Dave Ferguson during a news conference at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“Safety is at the core of Nuro’s mission, that commitment to safety is why the company is investing in a prominent closed-course testing facility to validate its bots before deploying in local communities,” the press release explained.
Customers will be able to order a Nuro delivery service through an official retail partner of the company. It will consist of selecting the “driverless vehicle option” which will then allow you to track and get updates on where the vehicle is at with your order. Once the order arrives, customers will be given an access code to open the vehicle's compartment to retrieve their items.
Nevada was the first state to pass autonomous vehicle legislation in 2011 with their AB 511 bill, along with the open space the state provides allowing for a perfect place for Nuro to move forward with its operation.
“We greatly appreciate the state’s leadership in working with us to finalize this partnership. The decision to place these facilities in Southern Nevada was an easy one,” said Zhu.
The move will create 250 new jobs for the state. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and Sen. Jacky Rosen, along with Ferguson, spoke of what the new facility will mean for Las Vegas at the news conference.
“It’s one thing to introduce new jobs to the state—and it’s another thing to introduce high-quality careers to our community,” said Sisolak. “We’re pleased to welcome Nuro to Southern Nevada and are especially excited for the careers they’ll be offering that will have long-term benefits for our community.”
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