Autonomous delivery company set to invest $40M in S. Nevada
Autonomous delivery company Nuro is set to invest $40 million to construct a manufacturing facility and test track in Southern Nevada.
Nuro’s plans were revealed at a news conference Thursday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Gov. Steve Sisolak, Sen. Jacky Rosen and Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson touched on what the pair of facilities will mean to the Las Vegas Valley.
The end-of-line manufacturing plant and closed-course testing track will help commercialize and scale production of Nuro’s third-generation self-driving vehicles.
The 125,000 square-foot manufacturing plant will be about 7 miles from the speedway on 80 acres, where thousands of Nuro vehicles will be fitted with various sensors and lidar — a sensing method that sends pulses of laser light to determine the presence, shape and distance of objects — to have them road ready, Ferguson said.
The test track will occupy 74 acres at the speedway, allowing for testing and validation of all autonomous vehicles the company produces.
“That’s a really important step for us,” Ferguson said. “To make sure that we’re comfortable with them, they’re rock-solid in terms of safety and performance before they go out and do their work.”
The two Nuro facilities will add 250 jobs in Southern Nevada. Sisolak said the average starting wage will be $27.50 an hour.
“That’s an incredible starting wage,” Sisolak said. “These aren’t just jobs; these are careers. … The jobs and opportunities are important now more than ever given the impact this pandemic has had on our economy and our communities.”
To help fill the jobs, Nuro is looking to partner with local universities, community colleges and career training programs to target individuals traditionally underrepresented in the technology industry.
Nuro, based in Silicon Valley, has partnered with Domino’s Pizza, FedEx, Walmart, CVS and Kroger on various autonomous delivery programs.
Construction on the production facility will begin this fall and is expected to be completed in 2022. Both facilities are expected to be fully operational in 2022.
“Technology innovation is driving the economics and investments in our state,” Rosen said. “We can drive Nevada into the future.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.
