Nuro acquires autonomous trucking firm Ike

Nuro, the autonomous vehicle company piloting grocery delivery services with retailers like Kroger and Walmart, has acquired self-driving truck firm Ike.

Nuro, headquartered in Mountain View, CA, has focused on autonomous local deliveries, while Ike, based in San Francisco, has focused on long-haul freight.

The two companies have worked together in the past, with Nuro exchanging an equity stake in Ike through licensing Nuro’s technology, but had remained independent.

“We have maintained a close relationship ever since – sharing a Slack channel and serving as advisors to one another,” said Nuro CEO Dave Ferguson in a blog post. “Having Ike join us in accelerating our progress is a truly special moment that feels a bit like a homecoming.”

Nuro also recently raised a new round of Series C funding totaling $500 million led by T. Rowe Price, and was granted the first permit to deploy autonomous vehicles on public streets in California.