Nuro’s R2 autonomous delivery vehicle gets official OK to ditch steering wheel

Forget autonomous cars for human passengers: Nuro just received the first exemption from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to do away with traditional driving tools like steering wheels and side mirrors for an autonomous vehicle.

Back in 2018, the company debuted R1, a vehicle set up to carry Kroger groceries in the Phoenix, Arizona area. 

On Thursday, it showed off R2, the second-generation version of the grocery van with an even bigger focus on its delivery abilities. 

Nuro calls the R2 a zero-occupant vehicle, which is an important detail for the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The two-year exemption is contingent on the R2 only delivering goods, not people. Only up to 5,000 of the vehicles can operate during the exemption period.

NHTSA’s also been in talks with General Motor’s autonomous company, Cruise, after it petitioned for a steering wheel-less automated vehicle. The Cruise Origin autonomous ride-sharing vehicle revealed this month is the manifestation of that goal. It’s supposed to start taking passengers sans steering wheel in the coming years, if Cruise’s plans falls into place.

The R2 was first announced last year with a Nuro partnership for Domino’s Pizza deliveries. With its shiny new exemption, the automated delivery vehicles will also be used to deliver orders from Walmart and Krogers. Of course, Nuro wants to expand to more cities eventually but, for now, you’ll  see the R2 testing on public roads in Houston, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona.