Nuro has received regulatory approval to test Lucid Gravity SUVs without a human safety driver on California public roads, a critical step toward launching Uber’s planned premium robotaxi service. The California Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed the modification of Nuro’s existing driverless permit to include the Lucid Gravity vehicles, which are equipped with Nuro’s autonomous driving system powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer. Despite holding a driverless permit for six years, Nuro previously only used it for a low-speed delivery vehicle program that was discontinued after the company shifted focus to licensing its technology. The updated permit now allows fully driverless testing of the Lucid SUVs in designated areas, though Nuro has not yet begun such testing.
What it does
The permit enables Nuro to operate autonomous vehicles without a human operator behind the wheel, a prerequisite for commercial robotaxi deployment. The Lucid Gravity robotaxi features high-resolution cameras, solid-state lidar sensors, and radar arrays to enable environmental perception and safe navigation. These vehicles are intended for use in Uber’s upcoming robotaxi service, which will rely on Nuro’s self-driving system. Currently, Nuro and Uber are conducting autonomous tests with human safety operators present. Since last month, Uber employees have been able to request rides in the autonomous Lucid vehicles through the Uber app, but with a safety driver onboard.
Regulatory and business timeline
Before Uber can launch its driverless ride-hailing service, Nuro must secure additional permits: a driverless ride-hailing permit from the California Public Utilities Commission and a deployment permit from the DMV. The company expects to begin driverless testing later in 2026, according to Nuro spokesperson David Salguero, though no specific timeline was provided.
Uber’s commitment to the robotaxi initiative has grown since the original July 2025 agreement. Initially, Uber pledged $300 million to Lucid and agreed to purchase 20,000 robotaxi-ready Gravity vehicles. That deal has since been expanded to $500 million in investment and a minimum of 35,000 vehicles — including at least 10,000 Gravity SUVs and 25,000 EVs built on Lucid’s upcoming mid-size platform. Uber has also made a separate multimillion-dollar investment in Nuro.
Lucid has delivered 75 engineering vehicles to Nuro and Uber for testing, with validation ongoing across multiple U.S. cities. During its first-quarter 2026 earnings call, Lucid stated it remains on track for commercial robotaxi operations to begin in late 2026, though these initial operations may not be fully driverless and could face operational