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No More Tips: Uber Eats Gets Self-Driving EVs to Deliver Orders in Texas and California

Self-driving cars could make food cost less, and here's why. Every time we order delivery, we tip the driver. And that's perfectly alright and a sign of appreciation for the service. Like when you give tips to the waiter at the restaurant.
Uber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and California 7 photos
Photo: Nuro.ai
Uber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and CaliforniaUber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and CaliforniaUber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and CaliforniaUber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and CaliforniaUber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and CaliforniaUber Eats will use Nuro autonomous cars for deliveries in Texas and California
However, if you regularly have your meals brought to your door, tips add up to a certain amount each month. Which makes food cost more overall.

Uber Eats will take out that extra cost with the price of laying off the delivery drivers. The company teamed up with Nuro, an autonomous car maker, to use the EVs for food delivery in the US. First to benefit from the food-buggies services are the Texans in Houston and Californians of Mountain View.

According to a joint press release from the two enterprises, the partnership will come into effect this fall. If all goes well, unmanned food deliveries will expand to the greater Bay Area. The choice for Nuro's EVs is not a complete surprise since the robotics company is the first to hit an important milestone in the autonomous driving market.

With vehicle operations in three states (Arizona, California, and Texas) and an autonomous deployment permit from the California DMV, Nuro knows how to make safe deliveries. And the emphasis is on 'safe' here. So far, the state authorities of California have only issued similar permits to two other companies.

"Nuro and Uber share a vision in which technology can make everyday life just a little bit easier," said Noah Zych, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility and Delivery at Uber.

According to the two partners in this initiative, the new delivery service will significantly and positively impact local businesses and commerce.

"With our unique autonomous delivery vehicles and Uber's phenomenal scale and reach, we can expand food delivery options from your favorite local mom-and-pop restaurants, all the way to nationwide chains," said Cosimo Leipold, Head of Partnerships at Nuro.

Nuro is not a stranger to autonomous deliveries, with partnerships with FedEx, 7-Eleven, and Domino's – the latter has been available in Houston, Texas, since April of 2021. Whether it will still be hot or not when autonomous-delivered food hits the table, one thing is for sure: no one will blame the driver anymore. And tips stay in your wallet.
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About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
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