U.S., Feb. 6 -- The US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationhas granted permission for autonomous vehicle startup Nuro over the next two years to deploy up to 5,000 low-speed electric delivery vehicles over the next two years.

The rollout of Nuro's R2 vehicle will take place in Houston, with plans for it to deliver items like pizza and groceries. It is around half the width of a regular car, has no steering wheel, wing mirrors or seating positions and boasts gull-wing cargo doors reminiscent of the time-traveling car in the 'Back to the Future' films.

Nuro, a privately held robotics company based in Mountain View, California, said it will begin public road testing to prepare deliveries in Houston ...