Washington, DC (CNN) The federal government has cleared the way for a Silicon Valley startup to deploy thousands of its self-driving delivery vehicles on US streets.

Nuro, based in Mountain View, California, is now able to launch up to 5,000 of its R2 autonomous vehicles over the next two years, according to the US Department of Transportation.

The R2 has no steering wheel, pedals or side mirrors as it's designed to be unmanned and carry cargo. Large compartments on its side open up to reveal deliveries, such as groceries or pizza.

Nuro said the R2 will begin delivering pizza and groceries in Houston this year.

Nuro said it will initially deploy the R2 in six zip codes in Houston, covering 160,000 residents. It plans to start delivering Domino's pizza in Houston soon, although it didn't specify an exact date. In December, the company announced a partnership with Walmart to test autonomous grocery delivery in Houston sometime this year.

The federal government has told self-driving companies to apply for exemptions to its vehicle standards in order to more quickly get innovative technologies onto roadways. Nuro is the first company to receive an exemption from the Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which requires cars to have a long list of safety features including airbags and seat belts.

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