Uber’s Ambitious Journey into Autonomous Vehicles: Meet the Innovators Behind the Revolution

Recently, Uber has teamed up with over 30 partners in the autonomous vehicle sector, highlighting a robust global strategy supported by considerable financial backing.

TechCrunch has compiled these advancements into a comprehensive overview, but let’s first provide some context.

Initially, Uber aimed at creating its own self-driving technology. The Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG), established in 2014 under CEO Travis Kalanick, leveraged expertise from Carnegie Mellon University’s renowned robotics program.

In 2016, Uber broadened its ambitions by acquiring Otto, a startup led by ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, which focused on autonomous trucking, while initiating trials in California, Pittsburgh, and Arizona.

However, the journey was fraught with difficulties, including a legal dispute with Waymo, Kalanick’s exit in 2017, and a tragic accident in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018, where an autonomous Volvo XC90 collided with a pedestrian. This incident prompted Uber to pause testing and reconsider its approach to regain its direction.

Under Dara Khosrowshahi’s leadership, Uber reevaluated its path.

By 2020, Uber redirected its efforts back toward its core services like ride-hailing and food delivery, scaling back its aspirations for autonomous vehicles. The ATG was sold to Aurora, Jump was divested to Lime, and Elevate transitioned to Joby Aviation, while Uber retained equity interests in these entities.

Fast forward two years, Uber is preparing to re-enter the autonomous vehicle market, expecting an increase in contracts slated for 2024. TechCrunch will keep you updated on Uber’s advances in this area.

Aurora

After divesting ATG to Aurora in 2020, Uber maintained its partnership, holding an equity stake. As of April 2024, Uber, through Neben Holdings, owns roughly 325.97 million Aurora Class A shares, translating to a 19.7% equity stake and 6.9% voting rights according to SEC filings.

In June 2024, Uber Freight revealed a strategic partnership with Aurora, building on previous testing. By May 2025, both companies confirmed that Aurora’s autonomous trucks had successfully completed round trips between Dallas and Houston via the Uber Freight network.

Autobrains

In June 2026, Autobrains and Uber announced plans to launch a robotaxi service in Munich, pending regulatory approval. While vehicle details remain undisclosed, both parties confirmed an OEM-agnostic strategy, utilizing Autobrains’ AI-driven technology powered by Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform. Access to these robotaxis will be through the Uber app.

Avomo

Previously known as Moove Cars, Avomo specializes in autonomous fleet management across Europe. Uber acquired a 30% equity stake in Avomo in 2021.

Although Avomo may not be widely recognized, it plays a vital role in Uber’s autonomous vehicle ecosystem. It handles fleet services such as maintenance, inspections, and cleaning for the Waymo-Uber partnership in Austin, in addition to overseeing operations for a robotaxi service with WeRide in Madrid, announced in June 2026.

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

Avride

Avride, which spun out from Yandex and is now part of Nebius Group, signed a long-term agreement with Uber in October 2024 to integrate Avride’s sidewalk delivery robots and autonomous vehicles into both Uber Eats and ride-hailing services.

By February 2025, it was reported that autonomous sidewalk robots were already assisting with Uber Eats deliveries in Austin and Dallas. Later, in the fall of 2025, Avride secured $375 million in strategic investments from both Uber and Nebius, though specific financial details are not publicly available.

By late 2025, Avride’s robotaxis, based on the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and featuring Avride’s self-driving technology, became available through the Uber app in Dallas. In May 2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating Avride following various incidents, some resulting in minor injuries.

As of last June, these vehicles still needed a human safety operator and had not achieved full autonomy.

Baidu

In July 2025, Uber announced a multi-year strategic relationship with Baidu to deploy thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform globally, starting with a focus on Asia and the Middle East.

By the end of 2025, Baidu mentioned plans to test Apollo Go robotaxis in London in the first half of 2026 through its collaboration with Uber. However, as of June, these tests have yet to commence.

Cartken

Cartken began its partnership with Uber in 2022, initiating food delivery in Miami, with plans for expansion to other cities in 2023. This collaboration also encompassed commercial deliveries in Fairfax, Virginia, that same year. By February 2025, food deliveries using Cartken’s robots commenced in Osaka, Japan.

By the summer of 2025, Cartken shifted its focus toward industrial robotics. While it continues to support last-mile delivery, there are currently no further expansion plans in place.

Coco

In 2024, Uber and Coco formed a partnership to incorporate Coco’s sidewalk robots into Uber Eats deliveries, launching in Los Angeles and later expanding to selected neighborhoods in Miami by April 2025.

Cruise

In August 2024, a strategic alliance was established between Uber and GM’s Cruise, aiming to integrate Cruise’s robotaxis into the Uber app by 2025. This partnership was significant for Cruise, facing various challenges, including workforce reductions and the exit of its co-founders after a Cruise robotaxi incident in October 2023.

Unfortunately, Cruise’s ambitious plans unraveled. By December 2024, GM opted to dissolve Cruise’s robotaxi division due to financial issues and rising competition, merging it with its engineering operations.

With Cruise’s robotaxi activities halted, the partnership with Uber effectively concluded, despite their previously strong collaboration.

Flytrex

In September 2025, Uber announced a partnership with Flytrex, a drone delivery company, along with a minor investment, details of which remain undisclosed.

Hertz

While Hertz is not primarily focused on autonomous technology, its influence is notable. In April 2023, Uber formed strategic fleet agreements with Hertz and its affiliate, Oro Mobility.

This collaboration aims to provide a premium robotaxi service using Lucid vehicles outfitted with Nuro’s autonomous tech. Hertz will manage essential fleet operations, including maintenance, repairs, charging, and staffing.

Lucid

Uber has made significant investments in Lucid Motors, unveiling plans in 2025 for a premium robotaxi service using Lucid vehicles designed for autonomous operation. Initially, Uber committed $300 million, intending to purchase at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over a six-year timeline, integrated with Nuro’s autonomous driving technology.

In April, Uber boosted its investment by an additional $200 million, raising the total order to 35,000 vehicles, including Lucid’s upcoming mid-sized platform. Currently, Uber holds more than 11% equity in Lucid through its financial commitments 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 via the Uber app by the year’s end, beginning in Arlington, Texas.

They also expressed plans to expand into multiple U.S. markets by 2026, intending to introduce “thousands of AVs” in the coming years, as stated by the startup.

As of June, Arlington was the only city where riders could access May Mobility vehicles through the Uber app.

Mercedes

In January 2023, Mercedes-Benz formed a partnership with Nvidia to create a robotaxi ecosystem employing self-driving S-Class vehicles within Uber’s ride-hailing framework. Specific details regarding deployment in cities are still pending.

Momenta

In May 2025, the Chinese autonomous driving firm Momenta formalized its partnership with Uber to integrate its robotaxis into the app, planning a roll-out in Europe by early 2026 with human safety drivers present.

Further updates in September 2025 indicated intentions to test robotaxis in Munich, Germany, projected for 2026.

Motional

Motional, an offshoot of Hyundai, has been collaborating with Uber since 2021, initially concentrating on autonomous deliveries in Santa Monica. However, this initiative was classified as a pilot and did not lead to commercialization.

In October 2022, the agreement evolved into a decade-long partnership aimed at launching services in major North American cities, starting in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Nevertheless, a fully autonomous service without human drivers has yet to be achieved.

After a restructuring in 2024 focusing on AI advancements, Motional’s self-driving Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles began operating on the Uber app in Las Vegas in March 2026, still with human safety operators onboard.

New Horizon

New Horizon, a fleet management company, assists Uber’s collaboration with Baidu in launching the Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai.

Nissan

In March 2023, under Uber’s partnership with Wayve, Nissan announced its commitment to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into the Uber network in Tokyo, employing Wayve’s technology.

Nuro

Nuro first collaborated with Uber in 2022 to create a custom delivery vehicle, aiming for a long-term strategy to initiate autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California, and Houston later that fall.

However, Nuro shifted focus from developing delivery vehicles to licensing its self-driving technology to vehicle manufacturers and robotaxi operators. Continuing their partnership, Uber disclosed a substantial agreement in 2025 for a premium robotaxi service utilizing Lucid Gravity SUVs powered by Nuro’s autonomous technology.

San Francisco is expected to be the first city for this service, with Houston following as of June. Uber’s financial stake in Nuro includes its Series E funding commitment and subsequent milestone-driven financing, amounting to roughly $500 million.

Nvidia

Uber began its partnership with Nvidia in January 2018, during a pivotal time for both companies. Nvidia provided AI computing resources for Uber’s internal self-driving software; however, this initiative concluded with the sale of Uber’s AV division in 2020.

At CES 2025, Uber announced plans to utilize Nvidia’s generative world model simulation tool, Cosmos, along with its DGX Cloud AI supercomputing platform to enhance its AV technology development. However, specific applications for these tools were not disclosed at that time.

In October 2025, Uber reiterated its commitment to accelerate its robotaxi ambitions by leveraging Nvidia’s Hyperion autonomous platform. Stellantis pledged to supply at least 5,000 Nvidia Drive-equipped vehicles for Uber’s efforts, marking a groundbreaking first among automotive manufacturers.

In March of this year, Uber and Nvidia expanded their collaboration to launch a unified global fleet of Nvidia-driven autonomous vehicles, expected to debut in Los Angeles and San Francisco in early 2027, aiming for deployment in 28 cities worldwide by 2028. These vehicles will utilize Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform and integrate Alpamayo, a collection of open-source AI models and tools designed for complex driving tasks.

Pony.ai

Pony.ai, based in Guangzhou, partnered with Uber in May 2025, focusing on the Middle East to pilot a program for Pony.ai’s robotaxis (with a safety operator present) through the Uber app later that year.

In March 2026, Uber, Pony.ai, and Croatian firm Verne announced plans to create a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, launching in Zagreb. Pony.ai will provide the autonomous driving technology, operating robotaxis named the Arcfox Alpha T5, developed in collaboration with BAIC, while Verne will handle fleet management. Uber will facilitate ride-hailing through its established platform.

Rivian

In a surprising announcement in March 2026, potential earnings of $1.25 billion were projected for Rivian. This deal involves Rivian producing numerous robotaxis based on its upcoming R2 SUV, equipped with a self-driving system under development.

Uber has invested $300 million in Rivian, planning to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. Both entities aim to expand robotaxi operations to “25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2031,” with access exclusively through the Uber platform.

Serve Robotics

Born from Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2020, Serve Robotics specializes in sidewalk delivery robots. The following year, this robotics division was rebranded as Serve Robotics and became an independent entity.

Uber has also invested in Serve, which became public in 2024 after merging with a SPAC. Serve Robotics has been utilized for Uber Eats deliveries across various U.S. locations for several years now.

Starship Technologies

In November 2025, Starship Technologies, recognized for its sidewalk delivery robots, announced a partnership with Uber Eats to manage food deliveries across several European nations starting in 2026, with a U.S. rollout projected for 2027.

Stellantis

In June 2026, Stellantis unveiled a collaboration with the autonomous driving startup Wayve and Uber to jointly develop and deploy driverless robotaxis. Both Stellantis and Wayve, supported by Uber investments, are collaborating to integrate the automaker’s self-driving capabilities into its ride-hailing platform.

All parties are committed to coordinating on vehicle integration, testing, and validation with Wayve’s technology before deployment throughout North America and Europe.

Tawasul

Based in the UAE, Tawasul partnered with Uber in 2024 to provide fleet management services for the WeRide robotaxi project in Abu Dhabi.

Torc Robotics

Uber Freight, which originated from Uber in 2018, allied with Torc Robotics, a self-driving truck company acquired by Daimler in 2019, in December. This collaboration primarily revolves around data analysis.

Torc has leveraged Uber Freight to analyze shipping volume trends and networks to ascertain optimal routes and effective commercial applications for deploying autonomous trucking solutions.

Verne

The partnership between Uber and Verne is relatively new. Established by Mate Rimac of the Rimac Group, this collaboration announced in March 2026 aims at creating a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, set to commence in Zagreb, Croatia. In conjunction with Pony.ai, providing autonomous driving tech, Verne will oversee the fleet developed by BAIC.

Uber is expected to invest in Verne, although specific details remain undisclosed.

Volkswagen/MOIA

Volkswagen’s MOIA America has collaborated with Uber, announcing plans to deploy a commercial robotaxi service utilizing autonomous Volkswagen ID. Buzz minivans by 2025. This service aims to launch in multiple U.S. cities over the next decade, with Los Angeles as the initial specified location.

In April 2026, both parties established a joint facility in Los Angeles to supervise daily fleet operations, indicating that the robotaxi service may potentially start within the same year, primarily, with human safety operators. Full autonomous operations are expected to commence in 2027.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions

After initial collaboration in 2023, Uber Freight reaffirmed its commitment to measurable outcomes with Volvo Autonomous Solutions in 2025.

The VNL Autonomous truck from Volvo, equipped with redundancies for self-driving technology developed by Aurora Innovation, has started operations for Uber Freight clients between Dallas and Houston, with plans for route expansions underway.

Waabi

Uber’s relationship with Waabi is particularly noteworthy. Founded by CEO Raquel Urtasun, formerly Uber’s chief AV scientist, Waabi focuses on self-driving trucks. Uber supported Waabi’s $83.5 million Series A funding round.

This partnership gained momentum in 2026, when Waabi secured $1 billion—comprised of $750 million from a Series C round and approximately $250 million in milestone-based investment from Uber for deploying robotaxis utilizing Waabi’s self-driving technology.

Waymo

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, first collaborated with Uber in May 2023 to incorporate some of its robotaxis into the Uber platform, starting in Phoenix. Nonetheless, the partnership has inherent limitations, as Waymo users can also hail robotaxis via its own app.

The collaboration was subsequently expanded to include Austin and Atlanta the following year, but users could only access Waymo’s robotaxis through the Uber app in these three cities. Operations in Austin commenced in March 2025, followed by Atlanta in June 2025.

Regrettably, the partnership has encountered hurdles; both companies concluded their collaboration in Phoenix last month, and efforts are underway for Waymo to finalize its agreement with Uber, which will remain active until May 2028.

Wayve

UK-based startup Wayve has partnered with Uber, securing investment in a funding round in February 2026, raising $1.2 billion with support from earlier investors like Microsoft and Nvidia, along with Uber. Total funding may reach as high as $1.5 billion, including an additional $300 million from Uber intended for launching robotaxis out of London.

In March 2026, it was announced that self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs will be integrated into Uber’s network in Tokyo, using Wayve’s technology, with a pilot expected in late 2026. This partnership emphasizes the incorporation of Wayve’s AI-driven self-driving software into a Nissan Leaf, to function within Uber’s ride-hailing framework in Japan.

WeRide

WeRide, a Chinese robotaxi provider, is a significant partner for Uber. Their collaboration was publicly announced in September 2024, aiming to incorporate WeRide robotaxis into the Uber platform, beginning in Abu Dhabi. This service launched in December 2024, initially utilizing human safety operators before transitioning to full autonomy by November 2025. By late 2025, WeRide’s robotaxis were accessible through the Uber app in Dubai as well.

Uber plans to extend this partnership, intending to integrate WeRide’s autonomous vehicles into at least 15 more cities by 2030, reaching various locations throughout Europe. In those areas, WeRide’s robotaxis will be available via the Uber app, under Uber’s fleet management. Following this, Uber increased its investment in WeRide by $100 million, with a focus on target cities such as Madrid and Zurich.

In February 2026, Uber and WeRide set ambitious targets to deploy at least 1,200 robotaxis across the Middle East, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh, with operations anticipated to begin by 2027.

Zoox

Zoox, an Amazon subsidiary, has also joined forces with Uber. In March 2026, both organizations announced a strategic partnership to integrate Zoox robotaxis within the Uber app in Las Vegas this year, with future expansion plans for Los Angeles by 2027.