Uber’s Ambitious Drive for an Autonomous Vehicle Empire: Key Companies Fueling Its Vision

Over the past two years, Uber has collaborated with more than 30 companies specializing in autonomous vehicles, highlighting a well-rounded global strategy with direct financial investments.

TechCrunch gathers all these updates in one place, but first, let’s delve into some background information.

Historically, Uber had focused on developing its own autonomous vehicle technology. Founded in 2014 under former CEO Travis Kalanick, the company created the Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), hiring various experts from Carnegie Mellon University’s robotics program.

In 2016, Uber broadened its scope by acquiring Otto, a self-driving truck startup co-founded by ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, and began trials of autonomous vehicles in California, Pittsburgh, and Arizona.

However, progress hit significant roadblocks due to various events: Waymo filed a lawsuit against Uber over trade secrets, Kalanick stepped down in 2017, and a tragic accident in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018 involving an autonomous Volvo XC90 resulted in the death of a pedestrian. In the wake of this incident, Uber halted its testing, revamped its program, and didn’t fully return to its earlier momentum.

Following Dara Khosrowshahi’s appointment as CEO, Uber undertook a reset.

In 2020, Uber redirected its efforts towards core services like ride-hailing and food delivery, stepping back from ambitious autonomous vehicle initiatives. It sold Uber ATG to Aurora, Jump to Lime, and Elevate to Joby Aviation, while retaining equity stakes in all these ventures.

Fast forward two years, and Uber made a comeback in the autonomous vehicle sector, with a notable increase in deals starting in 2024. Here is an extensive list, which TechCrunch will keep updated as Uber progresses further.

Aurora

Since 2020, Uber has kept a relationship with Aurora after divesting its ATG unit to them. In this agreement, Uber acquired shares in Aurora, which it still holds. By April 2024, Uber, through its holding entity Neben Holdings, reported ownership of 325.97 million Aurora Class A shares, which translates to a 19.7% equity stake and 6.9% voting rights, according to SEC filings.

In June 2024, Uber Freight—a logistics business spun off from Uber—announced a multi-year partnership with Aurora, enhancing a previous trial program. By May 2025, both firms revealed that Aurora’s autonomous trucks were successfully completing round-trip deliveries between Dallas and Houston via the Uber Freight platform.

Autobrains

In June 2026, Autobrains and Uber unveiled plans to kick off a robotaxi service in Munich, pending regulatory approval. However, details regarding the vehicles to be used are yet to be shared. The companies proposed an OEM-agnostic model, outfitting vehicles with Autobrains’ AI-powered driving system, which operates on Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform. Uber’s app will manage access to these robotaxis.

Avomo

Previously known as Moove Cars, the European company Avomo serves as a partner for autonomous fleet operations. In 2021, Uber secured a 30% stake in Avomo.

While Avomo might not be as widely recognized, it has been instrumental in Uber’s autonomous vehicle activities. It oversees fleet services such as maintenance, vehicle inspections, cleaning, and charging for the Waymo-Uber partnership in Austin. Additionally, Avomo manages fleet operations under its robotaxi service agreement with WeRide in Madrid, announced in June 2026.

It’s essential to distinguish Avomo (formerly Moove Cars) from Moove, an African company managing Waymo’s AV fleet in Phoenix.

Avride

Avride, a spinout from Yandex now integrated into Nebius Group, entered into a multi-year deal with Uber in October 2024 to bring Avride’s sidewalk delivery robots and autonomous vehicles to both Uber Eats and the ride-hailing service.

In February 2025, Uber disclosed in its fourth-quarter earnings that autonomous sidewalk robots were delivering Uber Eats orders in Austin and Dallas alongside Avride. By fall 2025, Avride announced it secured $375 million in strategic investments and commercial commitments from Uber and Nebius, although further financial details were not released.

By the end of 2025, Avride’s robotaxis—based on Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles equipped with Avride’s self-driving technology—were available on the Uber app in Dallas. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration commenced an investigation into Avride in May 2026 following multiple incidents, including one involving a minor injury.

As of last June, these vehicles were not fully driverless and still employed a human safety operator present.

Baidu

In July 2025, Uber announced a multi-year strategic alliance with the tech giant Baidu. This collaboration will utilize thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles across the Uber platform in various markets beyond the U.S. and mainland China, beginning in Asia and the Middle East later that year.

By the end of 2025, Baidu expressed intentions to test Apollo Go robotaxis in London in the first half of 2026 through its cooperation with Uber. However, as of June, these tests had not yet launched.

Cartken

Cartken, a sidewalk delivery robot company, started its collaboration with Uber in 2022, initially focusing on food delivery in Miami, with plans to expand to additional cities in 2023. They also extended their partnership for commercial deliveries in Fairfax, Virginia, that same year, and in February 2025 began using Cartken’s robots to deliver food in Osaka, Japan.

By summer 2025, Cartken shifted its focus to industrial robots, indicating it would maintain its last-mile delivery services but had no intentions for new expansions.

Coco

In 2024, Uber and Coco announced a partnership utilizing Coco’s sidewalk robots for Uber Eats deliveries, starting in Los Angeles and expanding to neighborhoods in Miami by April 2025.

Cruise

In August 2024, a strategic collaboration between Uber and GM’s Cruise was revealed, aimed at integrating Cruise’s robotaxis with the Uber app by 2025. This announcement was pivotal for Cruise, which had experienced substantial changes, including staff layoffs and the departure of its co-founders after an incident involving a pedestrian who was hit by one of its robotaxis in October 2023.

Unfortunately, the ambitious objectives for Cruise did not materialize. By December 2024, GM decided to disband Cruise’s robotaxi division due to financial strains and heightened competition, merging it with its engineering operations.

Since Cruise no longer operates as a robotaxi provider, the partnership with Uber has effectively concluded, although at one point a solid agreement had been established.

Flytrex

In September 2025, Uber announced a partnership with Flytrex, a drone delivery company, which included a minor investment in Flytrex, the specifics of which remain undisclosed.

Hertz

Although Hertz does not primarily focus on autonomous vehicle technology, its involvement here holds great significance. In April 2023, Uber established strategic fleet partnerships with Hertz and its affiliate, Oro Mobility.

Under this collaboration, Uber plans to launch a premium robotaxi service utilizing Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro’s autonomous technology. Hertz manages essential fleet operations, including maintenance, repairs, charging, and staffing.

Lucid

Uber has made substantial investments in Lucid Motors, announcing plans in 2025 to roll out a premium robotaxi service using Lucid vehicles tailored for autonomous operation. Initially, Uber committed $300 million and aimed to purchase at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over a six-year period, which will incorporate Nuro’s self-driving technology.

In April, Uber ramped up its investment by an additional $200 million and increased its order to 35,000 vehicles, including Lucid’s soon-to-launch mid-sized platform. Currently, Uber holds over an 11% stake in Lucid, bolstered by its investments and vehicle orders.

May Mobility

In May 2025, the Michigan-based startup May Mobility and Uber finalized an agreement to deploy May’s autonomous vehicles through the Uber app by year-end, starting in Arlington, Texas.

They also expressed intentions to expand to various U.S. markets by 2026, aiming to introduce “thousands of AVs” in the coming years, as stated by the startup.

As of June, Arlington, Texas, remains the only market where riders can hail May Mobility vehicles through the Uber app.

Mercedes

In January 2023, Mercedes-Benz announced a partnership with Nvidia to create a robotaxi ecosystem utilizing self-driving S-Class sedans on the Uber ride-hailing platform. Specific city rollout details are yet to be revealed.

Momenta

In May 2025, the Chinese autonomous driving technology firm Momenta formalized a deal with Uber to incorporate its robotaxis into the app, initially set to launch in Europe in early 2026, with human safety operators on board.

Subsequent developments in September 2025 led to plans for testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany, in 2026.

Motional

Motional, a subsidiary of Hyundai, has partnered with Uber since 2021, announcing plans for autonomous deliveries in Santa Monica. However, this initiative was considered a pilot and never achieved full commercialization.

In October 2022, the partnership expanded with a 10-year operational agreement aimed at rolling out services in major North American cities, including Las Vegas and Los Angeles as initial locations. Nevertheless, a commercial driverless service (i.e., without a human operator) has yet to materialize.

After a reorganization in 2024 that focused on AI technologies, Motional’s self-driving Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles began operating on the Uber app in Las Vegas in March 2026, continuously supervised by human safety operators.

New Horizon

New Horizon is a fleet management entity contributing to Uber’s partnership with Baidu, facilitating the rollout of the Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai.

Nissan

Under Uber’s partnership with Wayve, Nissan announced plans in March 2023 to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into the Uber network in Tokyo, leveraging Wayve’s technology. (Refer to the Wayve section for further details.)

Nuro

Initially, the self-driving startup Nuro collaborated with Uber starting in 2022, working towards a customized delivery vehicle. In 2022, they entered a 10-year partnership to launch autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California, and Houston starting that fall.

However, Nuro shifted its focus from delivery vehicles to licensing its self-driving technology to automotive manufacturers and robotaxi operators. Continuing its collaboration with Nuro, Uber announced a major deal in 2025 to establish a premium robotaxi service featuring Lucid Gravity SUVs powered by Nuro’s self-driving technology.

San Francisco is set to be the inaugural city for this service, followed by Houston, as of June. Uber’s financial commitment to Nuro, including participation in its Series E funding and future milestone-linked investments, is estimated at around $500 million.

Nvidia

Uber first publicly acknowledged its association with Nvidia in January 2018 during a different phase for both companies. Nvidia was selected to provide AI computing resources for Uber’s in-house autonomous software, but this partnership ended with the sale of Uber’s AV program in 2020.

At CES 2025, Uber revealed plans to employ Nvidia’s generative world model simulation tool, Cosmos, and its cloud-based AI supercomputing platform, DGX Cloud, to enhance its AV technology development. Specific details on the applications of these tools were scarce at that time.

In October 2025, a plan was released to speed up Uber’s robotaxi program using Nvidia’s Hyperion autonomous platform. Stellantis pledged to supply at least 5,000 Nvidia Drive-powered vehicles for Uber’s operations, marking one of the first automakers to do so.

In March of this year, Uber and Nvidia expanded their collaboration, aiming to deploy a unified global fleet of Nvidia-driven autonomous vehicles, beginning with launches in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the first half of 2027, followed by aspirations to reach 28 cities globally by 2028. The vehicles will utilize Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform and leverage Alpamayo, a suite of open-source AI models and tools designed for intricate driving scenarios.

Pony.ai

Pony.ai, a company headquartered in Guangzhou, China, partnered with Uber in May 2025 targeting the Middle East, intending to launch a pilot program later that year for Pony.ai’s robotaxis (with a safety operator present) via the Uber app.

In March 2026, Uber, Pony.ai, and Verne from Croatia announced plans to initiate a commercial robotaxi service in Europe starting in Zagreb. Pony.ai will provide the autonomous driving technology alongside a robotaxi named the Arcfox Alpha T5 developed in partnership with the Chinese automaker BAIC, while Verne will manage the fleet’s ownership and operations. Uber will facilitate ride-hailing across its broad network.

Rivian

A surprising agreement announced in March 2026 could yield up to $1.25 billion for Rivian. The deal involves Rivian producing numerous robotaxis based on its new R2 SUV, furnished with a self-driving system currently under development.

Uber initially invested $300 million in Rivian, planning to secure 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis prior to the expected rollout in San Francisco and Miami in 2028. Both entities aim to introduce robotaxis in “25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2031.” This fleet will be exclusively accessible on the Uber platform.

Serve Robotics

Serve Robotics, a sidewalk delivery robot startup, emerged from Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2020. A year later, the robotics segment, Postmates X, became an independent entity and was rebranded as Serve Robotics.

Uber also invested in Serve, which went public in 2024 after a merger with a SPAC. Serve Robotics’ delivery robots have been employed by Uber Eats in several regions across the United States for years.

Starship Technologies

In November 2025, Starship Technologies, specializing in sidewalk delivery robots, announced a partnership with Uber Eats, enabling Starship robots to deliver food orders in various European countries starting in 2026 and eventually extending to the U.S. in 2027.

Stellantis

In June 2026, Stellantis announced a collaboration with the self-driving startup Wayve and Uber to co-develop and deploy driverless robotaxis. Stellantis and Wayve, both of which Uber has invested in, had previously been working together, positioning these efforts to integrate the automaker, self-driving tech, and ride-hailing network.

The parties have agreed to work together on the integration, testing, and validation of vehicles equipped with Wayve’s technology before deploying them across Europe and North America.

Tawasul

UAE-based Tawasul partnered with Uber in 2024 to provide fleet management services for the WeRide robotaxi initiative in Abu Dhabi.

Torc Robotics

Uber Freight, which spun off from Uber in 2018, teamed up with Torc Robotics, a self-driving truck firm acquired by Daimler in 2019, in late December. This collaboration primarily emphasizes data analysis.

Torc has leveraged Uber Freight to evaluate shipping volume patterns and networks, among other data, to identify effective lanes and suitable commercial applications for deploying autonomous trucking solutions.

Verne

The collaboration between Uber and Verne is relatively new. Formed by Rimac Group’s founder Mate Rimac, this partnership was unveiled in March 2026, with the aim of launching a commercial robotaxi service in Europe from Zagreb, Croatia. Alongside Pony.ai, which provides the self-driving technology, Verne will own and operate the fleet produced by BAIC.

Uber is also expected to invest in Verne, with specific terms yet to be disclosed.

Volkswagen/MOIA

Volkswagen’s subsidiary, MOIA America, in collaboration with Uber, announced plans to launch a commercial robotaxi service utilizing autonomous versions of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz minivan by 2025. This service aims for deployment in various U.S. cities over the next decade, with Los Angeles selected as the inaugural city.

In April 2026, the companies established a joint facility in Los Angeles for daily fleet operations, indicating plans to introduce the robotaxi service within the same year, initially staffed by human safety operators. Full autonomy operations are anticipated to begin in 2027.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions

Initially partnering in 2023, Uber Freight and Volvo Autonomous Solutions confirmed in 2025 their commitment to tangible outcomes from their collaboration.

Volvo’s VNL Autonomous truck—built with fail-safes for self-driving technology developed by Aurora Innovation—started transporting goods for Uber Freight clients between Dallas and Houston, with routes having expanded since.

Waabi

Uber’s relationship with Waabi is particularly noteworthy. CEO Raquel Urtasun, a former chief scientist at Uber’s AV division, founded Waabi in 2021 with a focus on self-driving trucks. Uber was a backer in Waabi’s $83.5 million Series A funding round.

The partnership deepened in 2026 when Waabi raised $1 billion—$750 million from a Series C round and approximately $250 million in milestone-linked funding from Uber to facilitate the deployment of robotaxis employing Waabi’s self-driving technology.

Waymo

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, first established a relationship with Uber in May 2023, agreeing to introduce some of its robotaxis onto the Uber platform, starting from Phoenix. However, the collaboration is limited as Waymo’s customers can also request a robotaxi through its own app.

In the following year, the partnership extended to Austin and Atlanta, but access to Waymo’s robotaxis via Uber’s app was exclusive to these cities. Services were initiated in Austin in March 2025 and in Atlanta by June 2025.

Nevertheless, the collaboration has since diminished; the companies ended their partnership in Phoenix last month, while Waymo is aiming to withdraw from its agreement with Uber, which remains in effect until May 2028.

Wayve

The innovative UK self-driving startup Wayve has both partnered with and secured investment from Uber. In a February 2026 funding round, Wayve netted $1.2 billion, with contributions from returning backers like Microsoft and Nvidia, alongside Uber. The total funding could hit $1.5 billion, with a further $300 million from Uber contingent upon the deployment of robotaxis beginning in London.

In March 2026, plans were unveiled to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into Uber’s network in Tokyo, utilizing Wayve’s technology, with a pilot anticipated for late 2026. This agreement encompasses the integration of Wayve’s AI-driven self-driving software into a Nissan Leaf, set to operate on Uber’s ride-hail network in Japan.

WeRide

WeRide, the Chinese robotaxi service, stands out as one of Uber’s more proactive collaborators. Their partnership was announced in September 2024, intending to merge WeRide robotaxis into the Uber platform, starting from Abu Dhabi. This service commenced in December 2024, operating with human safety operators and transitioning to driverless in November 2025. By late 2025, WeRide’s robotaxis were also accessible via the Uber app in Dubai.

Uber aims to broaden this partnership, seeking to incorporate WeRide’s AVs in at least 15 additional cities by 2030, including locations across Europe. In these regions, WeRide’s robotaxis will be available through the Uber app, with Uber managing fleet operations. Following this plan, Uber increased its investment in WeRide by $100 million, naming cities such as Madrid and Zurich as potential sites.

In February 2026, Uber and WeRide agreed to deploy a minimum of 1,200 robotaxis across the Middle East, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh, expected to be operational by 2027.

Zoox

Zoox, a company owned by Amazon, joined Uber’s initiatives later. The two organizations revealed a strategic partnership in March 2026 to deploy Zoox robotaxis within the Uber app in Las Vegas this year, with plans to expand into Los Angeles by 2027.