Uber’s Ambitious Journey Towards Autonomous Vehicles: Introducing the Visionaries Leading the Charge

In recent years, Uber has engaged with more than 30 stakeholders in the autonomous vehicle sector, demonstrating a robust international strategy supported by substantial financial backing.

TechCrunch has synthesized these advancements into a unified story, but let’s first establish some background.

Historically, Uber concentrated on creating its own self-driving technologies. 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 horizons by acquiring Otto, a startup founded by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, specializing in autonomous trucking, and initiating trials in California, Pittsburgh, and Arizona.

However, the path was fraught with challenges, including a legal dispute with Waymo, Kalanick’s resignation in 2017, and a tragic incident in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018, when an autonomous Volvo XC90 collided with a pedestrian. This prompted Uber to pause testing, reassess its strategy, and tackle the issue of regained momentum.

Under the leadership of Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber re-evaluated its roadmap.

By 2020, Uber turned its attention back to its core services, such as ride-hailing and food delivery, scaling back its ambitions for autonomous vehicles. It divested its ATG to Aurora, sold Jump to Lime, and transferred Elevate to Joby Aviation, while retaining equity stakes in these entities.

Fast forward two years, and Uber is preparing to dive back into the autonomous vehicle arena, with an increase in contracts expected to commence in 2024. TechCrunch will provide ongoing updates on Uber’s advancements in this area.

Aurora

Following its divestiture of the ATG to Aurora in 2020, Uber has maintained its partnership with the company, holding equity. As of April 2024, Uber, through Neben Holdings, reportedly owns 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 revealed a strategic partnership with Aurora, building on prior testing efforts. By May 2025, both entities confirmed that Aurora’s autonomous trucks had successfully completed round trips between Dallas and Houston using the Uber Freight network.

Autobrains

In June 2026, Autobrains and Uber revealed plans to introduce a robotaxi service in Munich, pending regulatory approval. While vehicle specifics remain under wraps, both parties confirmed an OEM-agnostic strategy, outfitting vehicles with Autobrains’ AI-driven technology utilizing Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform. Access to the robotaxis will be facilitated through the Uber app.

Avomo

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

While Avomo may not be widely recognized, it plays a vital role in Uber’s autonomous vehicle ecosystem. It oversees fleet services like maintenance, inspections, cleaning, and charging for the Waymo-Uber partnership in Austin, as well as managing fleet 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, a spinoff of Yandex that is now part of Nebius Group, entered a long-term partnership 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, Uber reported that autonomous sidewalk robots were already being utilized for Uber Eats deliveries in Austin and Dallas in collaboration with Avride, as stated in its fourth-quarter earnings report. Later, in the fall of 2025, Avride secured $375 million in strategic investments from both Uber and Nebius, though financial specifics were not disclosed.

By late 2025, Avride’s robotaxis, based on Hyundai IONIQ 5 models equipped with Avride’s self-driving technology, became available through the Uber app in Dallas. In May 2026, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated an investigation into Avride following multiple incidents, including one resulting in a minor injury.

As of last June, these vehicles were still required to have a human safety operator onboard and were not entirely autonomous.

Baidu

In July 2025, Uber announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Baidu to implement thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform internationally, with an initial focus on Asia and the Middle East.

By the end of 2025, Baidu expressed intentions to trial Apollo Go robotaxis in London during the first half of 2026 through its collaboration with Uber. However, as of June, these tests have not yet begun.

Cartken

Cartken began its partnership with Uber in 2022, initially focusing on food delivery in Miami, with plans for expansion to other cities in 2023. The collaboration also included commercial deliveries in Fairfax, Virginia, in the same year. By February 2025, they commenced food deliveries using Cartken’s robots in Osaka, Japan.

By summer 2025, Cartken shifted its focus toward industrial robotics. Although it continues to support last-mile delivery, no further expansion plans are on the horizon.

Coco

In 2024, Uber and Coco began a collaboration to incorporate Coco’s sidewalk robots into Uber Eats deliveries, starting in Los Angeles and expanding to select neighborhoods in Miami by April 2025.

Cruise

In August 2024, a strategic alliance was formed between Uber and GM’s Cruise, aiming to integrate Cruise’s robotaxis into the Uber app by 2025. This partnership was particularly crucial for Cruise amid several challenges, including staff reductions and the departure of its co-founders following an incident with a Cruise robotaxi in October 2023.

Regrettably, Cruise’s ambitious plans did not come to fruition. By December 2024, GM opted to disband Cruise’s robotaxi division in light of financial difficulties and rising competition, merging it with its engineering units.

With Cruise’s operations as a robotaxi service halted, the partnership with Uber effectively ended, despite their previously strong relationship.

Flytrex

In September 2025, Uber announced a collaboration with Flytrex, a drone delivery service, along with a modest investment, the specifics of which remain confidential.

Hertz

While Hertz is not primarily focused on autonomous vehicle technologies, its impact is significant. In April 2023, Uber established strategic fleet agreements with Hertz and its affiliate, Oro Mobility.

The goal of this collaboration is to offer a premium robotaxi service using Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro’s autonomous technology. Hertz will manage vital 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 that will utilize Lucid vehicles designed for autonomous operation. Initially, Uber committed $300 million, planning to acquire at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over a six-year period, integrated with Nuro’s driving technology.

In April, Uber augmented its investment by another $200 million, increasing its total order to 35,000 vehicles, including Lucid’s upcoming mid-sized platform. Currently, Uber holds more than an 11% equity stake in Lucid through its financial commitments and vehicle orders.

May Mobility

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

They also announced intentions to extend their reach to multiple U.S. markets by 2026, with plans to introduce “thousands of AVs” in the upcoming years according to the startup’s claims.

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

Mercedes

In January 2023, Mercedes-Benz partnered with Nvidia to create a robotaxi ecosystem using self-driving S-Class vehicles within Uber’s ride-hailing platform. Details regarding city-specific rollout are still pending.

Momenta

In May 2025, the Chinese autonomous driving technology firm Momenta formalized its partnership with Uber to incorporate its robotaxis into the app, with plans for a launch in Europe by early 2026 with human safety drivers onboard.

Further updates in September 2025 indicated plans to test robotaxis in Munich, Germany, slated for 2026.

Motional

Motional, a division of Hyundai, has been partnering with Uber since 2021, originally focusing on autonomous deliveries in Santa Monica. However, this initiative was classified as a pilot and did not move towards commercialization.

In October 2022, their collaboration expanded into a 10-year operational agreement aimed at launches in major North American cities, beginning in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. However, a fully autonomous service (without human operators) has yet to be realized.

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

New Horizon

New Horizon, a fleet management company, aids Uber’s collaboration with Baidu by facilitating the rollout of the Apollo Go autonomous ride-hailing service in Dubai.

Nissan

In March 2023, as part of Uber’s association with Wayve, Nissan committed to incorporating self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into the Uber network in Tokyo, employing Wayve’s technology. (Refer to the Wayve section for further details.)

Nuro

Nuro first joined forces with Uber in 2022 to develop a custom delivery vehicle, outlining a decade-long vision to initiate autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California, and Houston later in the fall.

However, Nuro pivoted from producing delivery vehicles to licensing its self-driving technology to automakers and robotaxi operators. Continuing their partnership, Uber announced a significant agreement in 2025 for a premium robotaxi service using Lucid Gravity SUVs powered by Nuro’s autonomous technology.

San Francisco is slated as the first city for this service, with Houston to follow, as of June. Uber’s estimated financial investment in Nuro includes its Series E funding commitment and future milestone-based financing, totaling approximately $500 million.

Nvidia

Uber first embraced its partnership with Nvidia in January 2018 during a crucial phase for both firms. Nvidia provided AI computing resources for Uber’s internal self-driving software, but this effort concluded with the sale of Uber’s AV division in 2020.

At CES 2025, Uber expressed its intention to utilize Nvidia’s generative world model simulation tool, Cosmos, and its DGX Cloud AI supercomputing platform to enhance its AV technology development. Specific uses for these tools were not clarified at that time.

In October 2025, Uber emphasized its plans to accelerate its robotaxi ambitions by leveraging Nvidia’s Hyperion autonomous platform. Stellantis committed to supplying at least 5,000 Nvidia Drive-supported vehicles for Uber’s operations, marking a notable first among automakers.

In March of this year, Uber and Nvidia expanded their partnership to launch a cohesive global fleet of Nvidia-driven autonomous vehicles, anticipated to debut in Los Angeles and San Francisco in early 2027, with aspirations for deployment in 28 cities worldwide by 2028. These vehicles will run on Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform and integrate Alpamayo, a suite of open-source AI models and tools designed for intricate driving scenarios.

Pony.ai

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

In March 2026, Uber, Pony.ai, and Croatian company Verne announced plans to create a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, commencing in Zagreb. Pony.ai will supply the autonomous driving technology, delivering robotaxis named the Arcfox Alpha T5 developed with BAIC, while Verne will manage fleet ownership and operations. Uber will facilitate ride-hailing through its established platform.

Rivian

A surprising announcement in March 2026 suggested potential earnings of up to $1.25 billion for Rivian. This agreement involves Rivian producing numerous robotaxis based on its upcoming R2 SUV, which is outfitted with a self-driving system currently in development.

Uber has invested $300 million in Rivian, planning for 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis to debut in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. Both parties aim to expand robotaxi operations to “25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2031.” This fleet will be available exclusively through the Uber platform.

Serve Robotics

Evolved from Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2020, Serve Robotics specializes in sidewalk delivery robots. The following year, the robotics division, rebranded as Serve Robotics, became a standalone entity.

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

Starship Technologies

In November 2025, Starship Technologies, renowned for its sidewalk delivery robots, announced a partnership with Uber Eats, allowing Starship robots to handle food deliveries in numerous European countries starting in 2026, with a U.S. rollout planned 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, previously joined forces to integrate the automaker’s self-driving capabilities into its ride-hailing platform.

All parties are dedicated to working together for the integration, testing, and validation of vehicles equipped with Wayve’s technology prior to deployment across Europe and North America.

Tawasul

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

Torc Robotics

Uber Freight, which began as part of Uber in 2018, partnered with Torc Robotics, a self-driving truck company acquired by Daimler in 2019, in late December. This collaboration primarily centers on data analysis.

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

Verne

The alliance between Uber and Verne is a relatively recent development. Initiated by Mate Rimac of the Rimac Group, the collaboration announced in March 2026 targets a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, set to launch in Zagreb, Croatia. In conjunction with Pony.ai, which provides autonomous driving technology, Verne will manage the fleet developed by BAIC.

Uber is expected to provide investment in Verne, although specific terms remain undisclosed.

Volkswagen/MOIA

Volkswagen’s MOIA America collaborated with Uber, announcing plans to deploy a commercial robotaxi service using 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 first indicated location.

In April 2026, both companies set up a joint facility in Los Angeles to oversee daily fleet operations, suggesting that the robotaxi service could begin within the same year, primarily using human safety operators. Full autonomous operations are expected to start 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 commenced operations for Uber Freight clients between Dallas and Houston, with plans for route expansions underway.

Waabi

Uber’s partnership with Waabi is particularly significant. CEO Raquel Urtasun, formerly Uber’s chief scientist for AVs, founded Waabi in 2021, emphasizing self-driving trucks. Uber backed Waabi’s $83.5 million Series A funding round.

This collaboration gained momentum in 2026 when Waabi secured $1 billion—comprising $750 million from a Series C round and about $250 million in milestone-based support from Uber for deploying robotaxis utilizing Waabi’s self-driving technologies.

Waymo

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, initially established a connection with Uber in May 2023 to merge some of its robotaxis into the Uber platform starting from Phoenix. However, the partnership has certain limitations, as Waymo’s customers can also book robotaxis through its own app.

The collaboration expanded to include Austin and Atlanta the following year, but users were solely able to access Waymo’s robotaxis via the Uber app in these three cities. Operations in Austin began in March 2025, and in Atlanta by June 2025.

Unfortunately, the partnership has experienced a downturn; both firms ended their collaboration in Phoenix last month, while Waymo prepares to conclude its agreement with Uber, which will remain active until May 2028.

Wayve

Innovative UK startup Wayve has collaborated with Uber, receiving an investment during a funding round in February 2026, which raised $1.2 billion with backing from previous investors such as Microsoft and Nvidia alongside Uber. Total funding could reach up to $1.5 billion, including an additional $300 million from Uber tied to launching robotaxis starting in London.

In March 2026, plans were announced to integrate self-driving Nissan Leaf EVs into Uber’s network in Tokyo, leveraging Wayve’s technology, with a pilot launch expected in late 2026. This partnership emphasizes embedding 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 service, is one of Uber’s key partners. Their partnership was publicly declared in September 2024, intending to integrate WeRide robotaxis into the Uber platform, beginning in Abu Dhabi. This service launched in December 2024, initially involving human safety operators before advancing to full autonomy in November 2025. By late 2025, WeRide’s robotaxis were additionally accessible via the Uber app in Dubai.

Uber aims to extend this partnership, planning to integrate WeRide’s autonomous vehicles into at least 15 more cities by 2030, covering various locations throughout Europe. In these areas, WeRide’s robotaxis will be accessible through the Uber app, with Uber managing fleet operations. Following this initiative, Uber increased its investment in WeRide by $100 million, concentrating on prospective cities like 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, expected to start operating by 2027.

Zoox

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