• Nuro, an autonomous delivery vehicle (ADV) startup, has unveiled its third-generation production-scale ADV “Nuro,” with enhanced safety features and specifications.

• The latest ADV can carry a payload of roughly 500 lbs (twice the capacity of the second-generation model), traveling at a maximum speed of 45 mph (vs. 25 mph of the previous version), and comes with customizable storage and temperature-controlled compartments. The ADV is also equipped with LiDAR, radars, cameras, and thermal cameras for a 360-degree view as well as external airbags for the safety of pedestrians and other objects.

<ul><li>Nuro has not disclosed the timeframe for the vehicle’s commercialization but it will be manufactured in partnership with the North American division of the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD at Nuro’s facility in Nevada —which is supposed to be operational later this year.</ul>

• The company also announced the expansion of its partnership with the retailer Kroger to introduce the latest ADV in Houston, Texas for grocery deliveries. 

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: Nuro first piloted deliveries by retrofitting its self-driving tech into Toyota Prius Sedans. The company has come a long way since then, with the introduction of its first-generation ADV in 2018 and the second in February 2020. Nuro has already secured necessary approvals to start commercial driverless operations in California, and today’s news furthers its goal of commercial-scale deployment. The necessary funds to begin series production of its third-generation ADV were made available to the company last November when it raised USD 600 million in a Series D primarily for this purpose.</ul>