Autonomous Vehicle Company Nuro to Build its First US Manufacturing Plant
Nuro, a provider of robotically piloted delivery vehicles, announced on August 26 it would build an end-of-line manufacturing facility in Southern Nevada. The company will invest $40 million for 125,000 square feet of space and over 80 acres of property development, in an effort to meet the demand for its third-generation autonomous vehicles. The company currently offers. autonomous delivery to communities in Texas, Arizona, and California.
“This is a significant moment for Nuro," said Jiajun Zhu, Nuro co-founder and CEO said in a statement. "Building on our tremendous momentum—including strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Domino’s, Kroger, and FedEx and operations in three states—we are now able to invest in the infrastructure to build tens of thousands of robots.”
The company is also working with BYD North America which will provide an electric vehicle platform that Nuro will transform into innovative autonomous vehicles.
In addition to the manufacturing plant, the company is investing in a closed-course testing facility to validate its bots before deploying in local communities. The company will build the facility on 74 acres of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The testing track will measure bot performance in a broad range of scenarios, from avoiding pedestrians and pets to giving bicycles space on shared roadways, as well as environmental tests and vehicle systems validation, according to a company statement.
From an economic standpoint, the $40 million investment in Southern Nevada will generate $2.2 billion in economic impact during the first 10 years of operation as estimated by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
This investment will also create an initial 250 highly skilled jobs. “It’s one thing to introduce new jobs to the state—and it’s another thing to introduce high-quality careers to our community,” said Governor Steve Sisolak in a statement. “We’re pleased to welcome Nuro to Southern Nevada and are especially excited for the careers they’ll be offering that will have long-term benefits for our community.”
Both facilities are expected to be fully operational in 2022.
