SAN FRANCISCO Reuters said on Wednesday that the company is rolling out California's first commercial autonomous delivery service in partnership with 7-Eleven, a convenience store operator.
With regulatory approval in the United States, Nuro and other rivals such as Waymo are planning to launch autonomous delivery services, though the services are limited or not in the form of driverless vehicles.
The service will start with Toyota Priuses being converted into autonomous vehicles and include a safety driver to monitor the technology, Nuro said.
The Priuses are the first step in Nuro's multi-phase approach to introducing commercial autonomous delivery to select service areas, according to a statement, adding that the company and 7 Eleven will make the joint decision to introduce Nuro's R 2 driverless vehicles as soon as possible. Customers in Mountain View, where Nuro is headquartered, will be able to get the service. Nuro said it is already delivering Domino's Pizza products in Houston, Texas, using its Prius and R 2 vehicles.
7 -- Eleven is a unit of Japan's Seven I Holdings Co.
In December, Nuro was the first autonomous vehicle startup to get a permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. In September, both Cruise and Waymo received their permits.
Nuro raised $600 million and brought in Alphabet Inc's Google as an investor earlier this month.
At a Forbes event on Tuesday, Waymo's self-driving unit Waymo will deliver groceries ordered from one of the Safeway stores in San Francisco, using its automated vehicles, according to Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo.
Waymo and Safeway employees will be able to select Waymo and Safeway employees before the service is introduced to more customers, according to Waymo.
Waymo plans to use Jaguar I-PACES-equipped vehicles with safety drivers, and said this is the first autonomous grocery delivery experience in San Francisco.