BYD partners with Nuro to produce all-electric autonomous delivery vehicle

BYD has partnered with autonomous vehicle company Nuro to manufacture the company’s third-generation electric autonomous delivery vehicle.

BYD is set to scale Nuro’s more environmentally-conscious technologies across the US.

The company’s third-generation vehicle features a higher capacity — twice the cargo volume of Nuro’s R2 model, as well as new safety measures.

The automotive production grade vehicle also features modular inserts to customise storage as well as temperature-controlled compartments to keep goods warm or cool.

The safety enhancements include an external airbag to further improve safety for pedestrians outside the vehicle, as well as a multi-modal sensing suite, including cameras, radars, lidar, and thermal cameras, creating a redundant 360-degree view.

The partnership announcement follows Nuro’s $600 million Series D funding round which closed in Q4 2021 and was led by Tiger Global Management with participation from other investors.

“BYD is one of the largest OEM networks of electric vehicles in the world, and we are thrilled to partner with them to help us move one step closer to scaled commercial operations,” said Jiajun Zhu, co-founder and CEO of Nuro.

He added: “Through our partnership with BYD, we plan to produce autonomous vehicles at scale that can improve road safety, air quality, and overall access to goods.”