Nuro has received permission to test the driverless ahead of the Uber robotaxi service

Nuro has been granted permission to begin testing self-driving Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with its autonomous technology on public roads in California – vehicles that will eventually be used in Uber’s premium robotaxi service. But the Silicon Valley startup, backed by Nvidia and Uber, is reportedly not ready to take off.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles, the agency that oversees the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles in the state, confirmed to TechCrunch on Tuesday that it has changed Nuro’s driverless AV license to include Lucid Gravity vehicles.

Nuro has had a driver’s license for six years, but he only used it low speed car — a program that was abandoned when the startup adopted its business model to focus on licensing its technology to companies like Uber.

This latest driverless license allows Nuro to test Lucid vehicles without a public safety driver behind the wheel. Nuro spokesman David Salguero told TechCrunch that the company hopes to begin pilotless testing later this year, without providing specific timelines.

The driverless license is one of the many hurdles Nuro must clear before Uber can launch its first robotaxi service. Nuro will also need to obtain a driver’s license from the California Public Utilities Commission and a permit from the DMV.

Currently, Nuro and Uber are testing Lucid vehicles in autonomous driving with a public safety driver in the driver’s seat. Last month, that test was expanded to allow Uber employees to request a ride autonomously in a Lucid robotaxi — with a human safety driver still present — through the Uber app.

As Nuro moves forward in testing, Uber has increased its commitment to Lucid.

When the three-way agreement was announced in July 2025, Uber said it would invest $300 million in Lucid and buy 20,000 Gravity-ready cars. This has been expanded to $500 million and at least 35,000 robotaxis, the contract is changing to include at least 10,000 Gravity SUVs and 25,000 EVs built on the upcoming Lucid platform.

Those EVs will have Nuro’s self-driving system, powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer. Lucid Gravity robotaxi, that was to be revealed in Januaryit is equipped with advanced cameras, robust lidar systems, and radars that help the vehicle to detect the exact location of the earth and operate within it.

Uber has also made a multi-million dollar investment in Nuro.

Lucid has delivered 75 engineering vehicles to Nuro and Uber and testing and mileage collection is underway in several cities across the United States, the EV maker revealed at the time. first quarter earnings call the second.

Lucid said Tuesday that it is on track to begin commercial robotaxi operations by the end of 2026. It is possible that robotaxi operations will not be driverless or will be limited in some way, depending on regulatory approvals.

However, Lucid executives were positive on the call and noted that all development and certifications are progressing as expected.