Cory Gunther
Nuro, the autonomous delivery EV startup founded by two ex-Google engineers, announced its latest autonomous vehicle with several key improvements as it prepares to hit the streets, including external airbags for pedestrian safety.
The company builds autonomous vehicles that drive themselves and deliver products from partners that may include FedEx, Walmart, Kroger, CVS, Domino Pizza, and more. It’s electric vehicle is so small that it doesn’t even have room for a driver, considering it’s half the size of a typical compact sedan.
The new third-generation Nuro vehicle builds on the success of the previous model while receiving several upgrades. While it’s still tiny, it now offers nearly double the cargo space for hauling goods on delivery routes, and as mentioned above, has a unique external airbag system to protect pedestrians it may encounter. Additionally, the company confirmed upgraded modular and temperature-controlled compartments to store either room temp, hot, or cold items, along with other safety measures.
Based on the first images released, the vehicle has a friendly face, but when necessary, airbags deploy up front, and it looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy or Ghostbuster’s Marshmallow Man.
In all seriousness, Nuro’s 3rd-gen vehicle may look goofy, but having the foresight to think about pedestrian safety is a smart move. And when you consider all the troubles Tesla has faced with its full self-driving software, Nuro is undoubtedly thinking ahead.
Back in 2021, the company confirmed it bought 74-acres of land outside Las Vegas to build a new test track and manufacturing facility for its third-generation autonomous vehicle, and now it’s finally here. This puffy, airbag-equipped vehicle will go into production later this year in Las Vegas and will be a fully autonomous electric vehicle.
Who knows, maybe later this year Las Vegan’s will be able to get deliveries from Nuro and potentially test out those airbags.
via The Verge
