Nuro
Nuro and Autolet’s Compact EV Fleet: Innovating from R1 to R3 for Mass Manufacturing
Nuro’s core competencies were entirely software-based, but their business case required a custom purpose-designed vehicle which occupied a much smaller volume than your average passenger car for the purpose of maximizing operational efficiencies, navigational nimbleness, and on-road safety. Autolet accepted the challenge of designing, testing, and industrializing three generations of Nuro’s small street-legal vehicles from an initial investors impression with a few R1s, to creating the functional on-road fleet with R2s, to designing R3 to be the commercially-agnostic scalable vehicle for mass manufacturing within the world’s largest EV vehicle manufacturer, BYD.
Rapid Innovation: Shaping Nuro’s Autonomous Delivery
Autolet built and fully surfaced R1, designed R2, and directed Nuro’s R3 fully autonomous delivery vehicles in very compressed timelines. Autolet defined Nuro’s vehicle strategy, built the design team, and fostered Nuro’s creative design culture. Autolet managed vehicle budgets, program timelines, digital sculptors, design contractors, design service companies, and expert prototyping resources. Autolet established three design studios for Nuro in two cities, spearheaded prototyping capabilities for R3, led the entire design development of R2 and R3 vehicles including product vision, team management, tooling release and quality execution with the suppliers and final assembly manufacturers. Autolet managed the production of digital and physical assets at all phases of vehicle programs, from ideation, conceptual CAD, to full-size verification models and final tooling release. Autolet fully integrated design with the hardware and software engineering and was the single POC for design feasibility to the studio engineering organization. Autolet created and presented designs to Nuro stakeholders, commercial partners, key investors, and media parties for mass marketing campaigns.
Design Prowess That Helps Elevate Startup to $9B Valuation
Autolet accomplished multiple large valuable design projects for the unicorn startup over six years. Autolet played a key role in growing the company’s valuation from $50m to $9 billion over six years. The overarching result of having transportation design experts to conceive, craft, andexecute the street legal vehicles which operate alongside long established OEM brands is subjective, yet imperative to a long-established OEM-dominant ecosystem. Both Autolet and Nuro were honored with multiple international design awards from subject matter experts.
