Nuro received permission from the California DMV to begin testing fully driverless, low-speed R2 delivery vehicles on public roads, becoming just the 2nd company (behind Waymo) allowed to operate vehicles without safety drivers in California.

Autonomous driving is an expensive undertaking – and a capital game. With rising capital expenditures in the long journey towards fully autonomous vehicles, large players have lately been joining forces to share costs and maintain a meaningful stake in the autonomous future.

Autonomous-technology players such as Waymo, Argo AI, Aurora and Apple are signaling intentions of focusing on the software – becoming pure-play technology services providers rather than automakers, robotaxi operators or delivery firms.

Starting with the commercial applications first – specifically last-mile delivery, shuttle services, and robotaxis – can solve many industry problems. The potential for higher utilization can mean greater value generated and ROI, compared to a consumer-owned vehicle that might sit unused most of the time.