Nuro expands Kroger driverless deliveries to Houston

Nuro, a self-driving car company founded by two former Google employees, today announced that it's expanding its driverless delivery partnership with grocery giant Kroger to a new market: Houston. This follows pilots in Scottsdale, Arizona that kicked off in August, first with a fleet of modified Toyota Priuses and then with Nuro's custom vehicle, R1. In Houston, Nuro will service four zip codes -- 77401, 77096, 77005, and 77025 -- near two Kroger locations, one on 10306 South Post Oak Road and other off of 5150 Buffalo Speedway. Customers within range will be able to place autonomous same-day or next-day delivery orders via Kroger's website or app seven days a week (based on slot availability) later this spring, for a flat price of $5.95. Once an order is placed, store employees will load the groceries into one of several compartments in Nuro's thin, stout R1, which packs a proprietary mix of laser sensors, cameras, and computers. The vehicles top out at a speed of 25 miles per hour and are fully driverless, although for now escorted by human-driven cars.