Why Nuro thinks being a robotaxi ‘second mover’ gives it an advantage

AI Summary

Nuro, a company founded by veterans of Google's self-driving car project, shifted focus from delivery robots to robotaxis in 2024. It has secured partnerships with Uber and Lucid to deploy tens of thousands of robotaxis across the United States, positioning itself as a strong competitor against industry leader Waymo.

Waymo is the undisputed leader in the robotaxi space, operating a fleet of over 3,000 driverless cars in at least 10 cities across the US. A number of companies, including Tesla, Zoox, Avride, and Motional, are racing to catch up with the Alphabet-owned firm. But what if being No. 2 was actually better? Nuro, the delivery robot company created by veterans of Google's self-driving car project, thinks it has a decent shot at occupying the slot. After pivoting from delivery to robotaxis in 2024, Nuro struck a deal with Uber and Lucid to deploy tens of thousands of robotaxis all across the US - netting itself hundreds of millions of dollars in … Read the full story at The Verge.