Uber’s Ambitious Journey Toward an Autonomous Vehicle Empire: Meet the Key Players Driving Its Vision

Over the past two years, Uber has formed partnerships with more than 30 companies in the autonomous vehicle sector, reflecting a global strategy that encompasses direct financial investments.

TechCrunch consolidates these developments in one place, but let’s begin with some context.

Traditionally, Uber focused on its own self-driving technologies. Established in 2014 by former CEO Travis Kalanick, the Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) consolidated expertise from Carnegie Mellon University’s robotics program.

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

However, the road was fraught with challenges, including a trade secrets lawsuit from Waymo, Kalanick’s resignation in 2017, and a tragic incident in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018, where an autonomous Volvo XC90 killed a pedestrian. In the aftermath, Uber halted its testing, restructured its strategy, and faced challenges in regaining momentum.

With Dara Khosrowshahi stepping in as CEO, Uber redefined its approach.

In 2020, Uber shifted its focus back to core operations like ride-hailing and food delivery, stepping away from its ambitious autonomous vehicle projects. It sold Uber ATG to Aurora, Jump to Lime, and Elevate to Joby Aviation, while retaining equity stakes in all these firms.

Now, two years later, Uber is re-entering the autonomous vehicle arena with a notable surge in contracts set to start in 2024. TechCrunch will continuously update a full list as Uber progresses in this industry.

Aurora

Since transferring its ATG unit to Aurora in 2020, Uber has maintained a relationship with the company, accruing shares that it retains. As of April 2024, Uber, through Neben Holdings, reported owning 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, the logistics arm separated from Uber, announced a multi-year partnership with Aurora, building on a previous trial initiative. By May 2025, both entities confirmed that Aurora’s autonomous trucks were effectively completing round-trip deliveries between Dallas and Houston using the Uber Freight platform.

Autobrains

In June 2026, Autobrains and Uber revealed plans to launch a robotaxi service in Munich, pending regulatory approval. Specifics regarding the vehicles involved are yet to be released. The companies proposed an OEM-agnostic model, outfitting vehicles with Autobrains’ AI-driven driving system operating on Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform. Access to these robotaxis will be facilitated through the Uber app.

Avomo

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

Although Avomo may not be widely recognized, it has significantly contributed to Uber’s autonomous vehicle initiatives. The company manages fleet services including maintenance, vehicle inspections, cleaning, and charging for the Waymo-Uber alliance in Austin. Furthermore, Avomo oversees fleet operations for a robotaxi service partnership with WeRide in Madrid, announced in June 2026.

It’s crucial to differentiate Avomo (formerly Moove Cars) from Moove, an African company handling Waymo’s AV fleet in Phoenix.

Avride

Avride, a spinoff from Yandex now under the Nebius Group, entered into a multi-year agreement with Uber in October 2024 to integrate Avride’s sidewalk delivery robots and autonomous vehicles into the Uber Eats and ride-hailing platforms.

In February 2025, Uber revealed that autonomous sidewalk robots were already delivering Uber Eats orders in Austin and Dallas in collaboration with Avride, as stated in its fourth-quarter earnings report. By fall 2025, Avride secured $375 million in strategic investments and commitments from both Uber and Nebius, although specific financial details were not disclosed.

By the end of 2025, Avride’s robotaxis, based on Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles with Avride’s self-driving tech, became accessible via the Uber app in Dallas. In May 2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into Avride after a few incidents, including one that caused a minor injury.

As of last June, these vehicles still required a human safety operator on board and were not fully autonomous.

Baidu

In July 2025, Uber announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Baidu to deploy thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform in 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 partnership with Uber. However, as of June, these tests had not yet begun.

Cartken

Cartken, specializing in sidewalk delivery robots, began its collaboration with Uber in 2022, focusing on food delivery in Miami, with plans to expand to additional cities in 2023. They also broadened their collaboration for commercial deliveries in Fairfax, Virginia, that same year. In February 2025, they started deploying Cartken’s robots for food deliveries in Osaka, Japan.

By summer 2025, Cartken shifted to industrial robots, indicating that while it would continue to support last-mile delivery services, it has no further expansion plans.

Coco

In 2024, Uber and Coco forged a partnership employing Coco’s sidewalk robots for Uber Eats deliveries, initially in Los Angeles, followed by expansion into neighborhoods in Miami by April 2025.

Cruise

In August 2024, a strategic partnership between Uber and GM’s Cruise was announced, aimed at incorporating Cruise’s robotaxis into the Uber app by 2025. This collaboration became crucial for Cruise, especially after facing significant changes, including layoffs and the exit of its co-founders after a pedestrian incident in October 2023 involving one of its robotaxi vehicles.

Regrettably, Cruise’s ambitious goals did not come to fruition. By December 2024, GM decided to disband Cruise’s robotaxi division due to financial difficulties and heightened competition, merging it into its engineering operations.

As Cruise is no longer functioning as a robotaxi entity, the partnership with Uber has effectively ceased, despite previously strong ties.

Flytrex

In September 2025, Uber revealed a partnership with Flytrex, a drone delivery service, accompanied by a minor investment, details of which remain undisclosed.

Hertz

Although Hertz isn’t primarily centered on autonomous vehicle technology, its role is notable. In April 2023, Uber formed strategic fleet partnerships with Hertz and its affiliate Oro Mobility.

Through this partnership, Uber aims to introduce a premium robotaxi service with Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro’s autonomous technology. Hertz will manage essential fleet operations such as maintenance, repairs, charging, and staffing.

Lucid

Uber has made significant investments in Lucid Motors, announcing plans in 2025 for a premium robotaxi service using Lucid vehicles designed for self-driving. Initially, Uber committed $300 million and planned to order at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over six years, incorporating Nuro’s self-driving technology.

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

May Mobility

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

They have also shown interest in expanding to various U.S. markets by 2026, with plans to introduce “thousands of AVs” over the following years, according to the startup.

As of June, Arlington remains the only location where riders can book May Mobility vehicles via the Uber app.

Mercedes

In January 2023, Mercedes-Benz announced a collaboration with Nvidia to establish a robotaxi ecosystem utilizing self-driving S-Class sedans on the Uber ride-hailing platform. Detailed rollout plans for cities are yet to be disclosed.

Momenta

In May 2025, the Chinese autonomous driving technology firm Momenta formalized a partnership with Uber to integrate its robotaxis into the app, with a rollout planned for Europe in early 2026, featuring human safety operators.

Subsequent updates in September 2025 indicated plans for testing robotaxis in Munich, Germany, in 2026.

Motional

Motional, a subsidiary of Hyundai, has partnered with Uber since 2021, initially targeting autonomous deliveries in Santa Monica. However, that initiative was categorized as a pilot and didn’t achieve full commercialization.

In October 2022, the partnership broadened to a 10-year operational agreement focusing on rollout in major North American cities, with Las Vegas and Los Angeles as the initial sites. Nevertheless, a fully driverless service (without human operators) has yet to be attained.

After restructuring in 2024 to focus on AI technologies, Motional’s self-driving Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles began operating on the Uber app in Las Vegas in March 2026, continuously overseen by human safety drivers.

New Horizon

New Horizon is a fleet management firm supporting Uber’s collaboration with Baidu, aiding in the rollout of the Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai.

Nissan

In March 2023, as part of Uber’s collaboration with Wayve, Nissan announced plans to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into the Uber network in Tokyo, utilizing Wayve’s technology. (Refer to the Wayve section for more information.)

Nuro

Nuro initially partnered with Uber in 2022 to create a personalized delivery vehicle. They established a 10-year agreement to launch autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California, and Houston starting that fall.

However, Nuro shifted from delivery vehicles to licensing its self-driving technology to automakers and robotaxi operators. Continuing its partnership, Uber announced a substantial deal in 2025 for a premium robotaxi service featuring Lucid Gravity SUVs powered by Nuro’s autonomous technology.

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

Nvidia

Uber first publicly recognized its collaboration with Nvidia in January 2018 during a transitional phase for both companies. Nvidia was selected to supply AI computing resources for Uber’s internal autonomous software, but this partnership ended with the divestment of Uber’s AV program in 2020.

At CES 2025, Uber revealed plans to utilize Nvidia’s generative world model simulation tool, Cosmos, and its cloud-based AI supercomputing platform, DGX Cloud, to further its AV technology development. Specific applications of these tools were not clarified then.

In October 2025, Uber shared plans to accelerate its robotaxi program by leveraging Nvidia’s Hyperion autonomous platform. Stellantis committed to provide at least 5,000 Nvidia Drive-powered vehicles for Uber’s operations, marking a significant first among automakers.

In March of this year, Uber and Nvidia expanded their partnership to deploy a unified global fleet of Nvidia-driven autonomous vehicles, commencing with launches in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the first half of 2027, and aiming for 28 cities worldwide by 2028. The vehicles will use Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform and incorporate Alpamayo, a collection of open-source AI models and tools designed for complex driving scenarios.

Pony.ai

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

In March 2026, Uber, Pony.ai, and Croatian company Verne laid plans to introduce a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, starting in Zagreb. Pony.ai will supply the autonomous driving technology partnered with a robotaxi named the Arcfox Alpha T5 developed alongside BAIC, while Verne will manage the fleet’s ownership and operations. Uber will facilitate ride-hailing through its existing network.

Rivian

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

Uber invested $300 million in Rivian, with a goal of securing 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis before the planned rollout in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. Both companies are targeting the introduction of robotaxis in “25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2031.” This fleet will be exclusively accessible through the Uber platform.

Serve Robotics

Emerging from Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2020, Serve Robotics specializes in sidewalk delivery robots. A year later, the robotics division, Postmates X, became an independent entity and rebranded as Serve Robotics.

Uber has also invested in Serve, which went public in 2024 following a merger with a SPAC. Serve Robotics’ delivery robots have been deployed for Uber Eats across various locations in the United States for several years.

Starship Technologies

In November 2025, Starship Technologies, known for sidewalk delivery robots, announced a partnership with Uber Eats, allowing Starship robots to handle food deliveries across several European nations starting in 2026, with plans to expand to the U.S. in 2027.

Stellantis

In June 2026, Stellantis unveiled a collaboration with self-driving startup Wayve and Uber to jointly develop and deploy driverless robotaxis. Stellantis and Wayve, both invested in by Uber, had previously worked together to integrate the automaker’s self-driving technologies with its ride-hailing network.

The involved parties are dedicated to collaborating on the integration, testing, and validation of vehicles equipped with Wayve’s technology before deploying them throughout Europe and North America.

Tawasul

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

Torc Robotics

Uber Freight, which separated from Uber in 2018, entered a collaboration with Torc Robotics, a self-driving truck company acquired by Daimler in 2019, in late December. This partnership is primarily focused on data analysis.

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

Verne

The Uber-Verne partnership is relatively new. Formed by Mate Rimac of the Rimac Group, the collaboration was announced in March 2026 aiming to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, starting from Zagreb, Croatia. Alongside Pony.ai, which supplies the autonomous driving technology, Verne will own and operate the fleet produced by BAIC.

Uber is anticipated to invest in Verne, with specific terms yet to be unveiled.

Volkswagen/MOIA

Volkswagen’s MOIA America, in collaboration with Uber, announced plans to roll out a commercial robotaxi service utilizing autonomous Volkswagen ID. Buzz minivans by 2025. This service is scheduled to launch in multiple U.S. cities over the next decade, with Los Angeles marked as the first location.

In April 2026, both companies established a joint facility in Los Angeles to oversee daily fleet operations, indicating that the robotaxi service aims for a debut within the same year, initially managed by human safety operators. Full autonomous operations are expected to start in 2027.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions

After initially partnering in 2023, Uber Freight reaffirmed its commitment to practical results with Volvo Autonomous Solutions in 2025.

Volvo’s VNL Autonomous truck—engineered with redundancies for self-driving technology created by Aurora Innovation—began transporting goods for Uber Freight clients between Dallas and Houston, with routes expanding since.

Waabi

Uber’s partnership with Waabi is particularly significant. CEO Raquel Urtasun, formerly chief scientist at Uber’s AV division, founded Waabi in 2021, concentrating on self-driving trucks. Uber supported Waabi’s $83.5 million Series A funding round.

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

Waymo

Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary, established its initial relationship with Uber in May 2023 to introduce some of its robotaxis onto the Uber platform, starting in Phoenix. However, the collaboration is limited, as Waymo’s clients can also request robotaxis through its app.

The partnership expanded to Austin and Atlanta in the subsequent year, but access to Waymo’s robotaxis via Uber’s app remained limited to these locales. Services began in Austin in March 2025 and in Atlanta by June 2025.

However, the collaboration has deteriorated; both companies ended their partnership in Phoenix last month, while Waymo plans to withdraw from its agreement with Uber, which stays active until May 2028.

Wayve

Innovative UK self-driving startup Wayve has secured both a partnership and investment from Uber. During a February 2026 funding round, Wayve raised $1.2 billion, including contributions from returning investors like Microsoft and Nvidia, alongside Uber. Total funding could reach $1.5 billion, with an extra $300 million from Uber contingent on launching robotaxis beginning in London.

In March 2026, initiatives to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into Uber’s network in Tokyo, using Wayve’s technology, were announced, with a pilot launch expected in late 2026. This collaboration includes integrating Wayve’s AI-driven self-driving software into a Nissan Leaf, aimed at operating on Uber’s ride-hail network in Japan.

WeRide

WeRide, a Chinese robotaxi service, stands out as one of Uber’s actively engaged partners. Their collaboration was announced in September 2024, aiming to integrate WeRide robotaxis into the Uber platform, starting in Abu Dhabi. This service began in December 2024, operating with human safety operators and transitioning to full autonomy in November 2025. By late 2025, WeRide’s robotaxis were also available through the Uber app in Dubai.

Uber aims to broaden this partnership, eyeing the incorporation of WeRide’s autonomous vehicles in at least 15 more cities by 2030, including locations across Europe. In these regions, WeRide’s robotaxis will be available through the Uber app, with Uber overseeing fleet operations. Following this initiative, Uber increased its investment in WeRide by $100 million, identifying cities such as Madrid and Zurich as potential rollout sites.

In February 2026, Uber and WeRide agreed to deploy at least 1,200 robotaxis throughout the Middle East, covering Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh, expected to be operational by 2027.

Zoox

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