These driverless vehicles are going to start delivering Uber Eats orders in Texas and California

Nuro

• Driverless vehicles are going to start delivering some Uber Eats orders in Texas.
• Uber Eats is deploying Nuro's autonomous EVs in Houston, as well as in Mountain View, California.

Nuro's driverless vehicles are going to start delivering some Uber Eats orders in Texas and California.

Uber Eats

Uber announced Thursday that it was launching a 10-year partnership with robotics company Nuro, which makes autonomous electric vehicles. The service will start in the fall with deliveries in Houston, Texas and Mountain View, California, with plans to expand the offering to the greater Bay Area.

Nuro

"Uber Eats consumers will be able to order meals and goods delivered by Nuro's zero-occupant autonomous delivery vehicles, which run on public roads and are built specifically to carry food and other goods," the companies said in a press release.

Nuro

Nuro will become Uber's third autonomous delivery partner: It works with Serve in West Hollywood, California and Motional in Santa Monica, California. But, unlike Nuro, Serve only drives on sidewalks, not roads.

Uber & Motional

Sources: Insider, Serve, TechCrunch

Nuro says it operates its autonomous vehicles in California, Nevada, Texas, and Arizona. It is partnered with companies including Domino's, CVS, Walmart, Kroger, and Chipotle to deliver takeout, groceries, and prescriptions.

Walmart

Sources: Nuro, Insider

Demand for delivery services boomed throughout the pandemic during waves of lockdowns. Though diners are returning to restaurants, people are still ordering takeout at elevated levels.

Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images

But the pandemic also brought about huge changes to the labor market, and some delivery services, including Uber, have struggled to find enough drivers to meet surging demand for takeout. Using autonomous vehicles like Nuro's could be a way to navigate challenging labor conditions and reduce wage costs.

Carsten Koall/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Sources: Insider, Insider

Nuro won't deliver takeout to Uber Eats customers' doors because the vehicles don't have drivers. Instead, the vehicles pull up on the curb and customers use a keypad to open the compartment and grab their order.

Nuro

Source: Nuro

Nuro says that it operates its vehicles using renewable electricity from wind farms in Texas and that its vehicles last for a whole day on just one charge.

Nuro

Source: Nuro

Uber Eats isn't alone in ramping up its rollout of autonomous vehicles. In June, DoorDash filed a patent filed for a last-mile logistics hub using autonomous vehicles, drones, and automated lockers in what seems to be an attempt to cut down costs.

DoorDash is expanding beyond food delivery.      DoorDash

Source: Insider