Uber puts robotaxi plan in top gear, joins hands with Lucid and Nuro; first vehicle to hit road in 2026. Details here
The ride-sharing company or its third-party partners will buy and operate Lucid Gravity SUVs outfitted with Nuro Driver technology on its network.
It aims to launch its first robotaxi in 2026 and plans to deploy at least 20,000 of the vehicles over the next six years.
Uber also announced that it is making separate multi-hundred-million-dollar investments in both Lucid and Nuro.
The funding will include $300 million for Lucid that will be used in part to upgrade its assembly line to integrate Nuro hardware into the Gravity vehicles.
After the announcement, Lucid shares rallied 34 per cent, while Uber stock was little changed.
Earlier this week, Uber had announced a tie-up with Chinese AV maker Baidu to deploy robotaxis in several non-US markets.
Currently, autonomous rides are available through the Uber app in Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta and Abu Dhabi.
Prototype robotaxis developed by Lucid and Nuro are already in operation on Nuro's Las Vegas closed-circuit testing grounds, reported Bloomberg.
Marc Winterhoff, Lucid's interim CEO, said Uber chose its SUV because the company can integrate the necessary hardware at its factory. Nuro's software will be added once Uber receives the vehicles.
'This is a stepping stone on our journey to expand our tech leadership from electric vehicles and licensing into partnerships in other areas,' Winterhoff told Bloomberg this week.
'A lot can happen in six years. I really see this as the first starting point,' he added.
Separately, Lucid said it is planning a 1-for-10 reverse stock split, subject to shareholder approval.
The emerging autonomous taxi market is gaining momentum, with Google subsidiary Waymo currently holding the strongest position in the United States.
Electric vehicle maker Tesla unveiled its first robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in late June, though with limited scope and a very small fleet.
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