Uber To Launch A Premium Robotaxi Service In Waymo’s Turf Of San Francisco

Uber has picked San Francisco to motorboat a premium robotaxi work that will usage Lucid Motors’ all-electric Gravity SUVs equipped pinch self-driving tech developed by Nuro, successful 2026 — a move that puts nan ride-hailing elephantine successful nonstop title pinch Waymo.

The announcement was made arsenic nan past time of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 kicked disconnected successful San Francisco. Nuro president and co-CEO Dave Ferguson, and Uber main merchandise serviceman Sachin Kansal are scheduled to beryllium interviewed connected nan Disrupt shape Wednesday afternoon.

“The Bay Area has agelong been nan birthplace of transformative technology, and it’s only fitting that Uber’s next-generation robotaxi programme pinch Lucid and Nuro will statesman present — launching to nan nationalist adjacent year,” Kansal said successful a statement. “By combining heavy expertise successful electrical vehicles, autonomy, and ridehailing, we’re laying nan groundwork for safe and scalable autonomous rides successful nan Bay Area and beyond.”

Earlier this year, Uber said it would invest $300 million successful Lucid and separately bargain “at least” 20,000 of its caller Gravity SUVs complete nan adjacent six years arsenic portion of a scheme to create and motorboat a premium robotaxi service. Those EVs would beryllium equipped pinch Nuro’s autonomous conveyance system, and owned and operated by Uber aliases its third-party fleet partners. At nan time, nan 3 companies had not identified their motorboat market.

The determination to motorboat successful San Francisco could adhd hostility to Uber’s narration pinch Waymo. The companies had squared disconnected successful 2018 successful a trade secrets theft case, but person since patched up — earlier this year, they launched a robotaxi service in Austin and Atlanta.

Now, Uber is entering a domain dominated by nan Alphabet-owned self-driving division. Waymo, based successful Mountain View, California, operates commercialized robotaxi services successful nan San Francisco Bay Area, arsenic good arsenic Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The institution has said it plans to motorboat successful six much cities successful 2026.

Uber, Nuro and Lucid are already processing a fleet of trial vehicles. Lucid precocious delivered vehicles to Nuro, which is integrating its self-driving strategy into nan fleet for testing and validation. The trial fleet is expected to scope astir 100 vehicles, according to nan companies.

Testing connected nationalist roads will beryllium nan astir visible motion of nan partnership, but Nuro besides plans to usage simulation and closed courses for testing.

Over nan past 2 years, Uber has locked successful a bevy of partnerships pinch autonomous conveyance exertion companies, covering nan spectrum of really self-driving systems tin beryllium applied to nan beingness world — though its deals pinch Waymo, Nuro and Lucid mightiness beryllium nan meatiest. The ride-hailing elephantine has collaborated pinch much than 18 companies globally, across ride-hailing, transportation and trucking. This twelvemonth alone, it announced deals with Ann Arbor, Michigan-based May Mobility and Volkswagen, arsenic good arsenic Chinese self-driving firms Momenta, WeRide and Baidu.