Uber and Lucid team up to launch Robotaxis — 20,000 driverless cars to hit US, set to take on Tesla and Waymo in 2025
Uber Unveils Major Robotaxi Partnership with Lucid and Nuro
Under the 'next-generation premium global robotaxi program', the companies aim to introduce more than 20,000 robotaxis in the next six years, all exclusively on Uber's platform, as reported by Yahoo Finance.
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This comes after Lucid, the California-based company, posted a strong second quarter of deliveries, with the new
Lucid Gravity SUV
arriving in showrooms, and its goal to deliver 20,000 Air sedans and Gravity SUVs in 2025, reported Yahoo Finance.
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Robotaxi Launch Set for a Major US City Soon
This is a major deal for Uber, which retreated from robotaxi initiatives after a fatal crash in 2018, according to the report. With Lucid's Gravity SUV and Nuro, which is backed by Google and the SoftBank Vision Fund, providing its Driver Level 4 autonomous software on Uber's platform and fleet management systems, the robotaxis could be in a major US city as early as next year, according to the Yahoo Finance report.
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Uber to Invest Hundreds of Millions in Lucid and Nuro
For the new robotaxi program, the ride-hailing company revealed that it will invest $300 million in Lucid and a similar 'multi-hundred-million dollar" investment in Nuro, according to the report.
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Lucid Robotaxi Prototype Undergoing Testing in Las Vegas
A Lucid robotaxi prototype using Nuro software is currently being tested at Nuro's Las Vegas proving grounds, as reported by Yahoo Finance. The startup raised $106 million in a funding round from T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Tiger Global and Greylock, in April, as reported by CNBC.
Global Vision for Autonomous Ride-Hailing
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said, 'We're thrilled to partner with Nuro and Lucid on this new robotaxi program, purpose-built just for the Uber platform, to safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people across the world,' as quoted by Yahoo Finance.
While Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said that, 'This investment from Uber further validates Lucid's fully redundant zonal architecture and highly capable platform as ideal for autonomous vehicles,' and added that, 'This is the start of our path to extend our innovation and technology leadership into this multi-trillion-dollar market,' as quoted in the report.
Uber's Broader Strategy: Compete With Waymo and Tesla
The latest Uber-Lucid-Nuro robotaxi program is the newest bet on robotaxi services in the United States, and comes after Waymo's leadership in the space as the only true operator, as per Yahoo Finance. While Uber has also partnered with Alphabet's Waymo in deployments in Austin and Atlanta, Yahoo Finance reported.
Meanwhile, even Tesla expanded its robotaxi testing in Austin, with Tesla CEO Elon Musk saying that the EV giant would expand testing to the San Francisco Bay Area, but reportedly the applications for those state permits have not been submitted, according to the report.
FAQs
How much is Uber investing?
Uber is investing $300 million in Lucid, and another multi-hundred million in Nuro.
How does this compare to Waymo and Tesla?
Waymo is already operating robotaxis in some cities. Tesla is testing its own version but hasn't gotten full permits yet.
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