Uber’s Ambitious Quest for an Autonomous Vehicle Future: Discover the Visionaries Driving the Initiative

Over the past two years, Uber has formed partnerships with more than 30 players in the autonomous vehicle sector, highlighting a robust global strategy with substantial financial backing.

TechCrunch consolidates these progressions in one place, but let’s first examine some background.

Traditionally, Uber concentrated on creating its own self-driving technology. Established in 2014 under then-CEO Travis Kalanick, the Uber Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) leveraged insights from Carnegie Mellon University’s renowned robotics program.

In 2016, Uber broadened its aspirations by acquiring Otto, a startup focused on self-driving trucks co-founded by ex-Google engineer Anthony Levandowski, which kicked off autonomous vehicle trials in California, Pittsburgh, and Arizona.

However, the path was fraught with challenges, including a trade secrets lawsuit from Waymo, Kalanick’s resignation in 2017, and a tragic incident in 2018 in Tempe, Arizona, where an autonomous Volvo XC90 collided with a pedestrian, prompting Uber to halt its testing, reassess its tactics, and tackle the difficulties of regaining lost ground.

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

By 2020, Uber refocused on its primary offerings, such as ride-hailing and food delivery, scaling back on its push for autonomous vehicles. It divested Uber ATG to Aurora, Jump to Lime, and Elevate to Joby Aviation, while still holding equity in these companies.

Fast forward two years, Uber is re-entering the autonomous vehicle arena with a significant rise in contracts expected to launch in 2024. TechCrunch will consistently update a comprehensive list as Uber advances in this domain.

Aurora

Following the transfer of its ATG division to Aurora in 2020, Uber has maintained a partnership with the firm, holding shares it continues to possess. As of April 2024, Uber, through Neben Holdings, reported ownership of 325.97 million Aurora Class A shares, equating to a 19.7% equity stake and 6.9% voting rights, according to SEC filings.

In June 2024, Uber Freight, the logistics division that emerged from Uber, announced a strategic alliance with Aurora, building upon previous trial initiatives. By May 2025, both organizations confirmed that Aurora’s autonomous trucks effectively conducted round trips between Dallas and Houston using the Uber Freight platform.

Autobrains

In June 2026, Autobrains and Uber revealed plans to initiate a robotaxi service in Munich, pending regulatory approvals. Specific details regarding the vehicles remain undisclosed, but both parties indicated an OEM-agnostic stance, outfitting vehicles with Autobrains’ AI-based driving system using Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform. Access to the robotaxis will be facilitated through the Uber app.

Avomo

Formerly known as Moove Cars, Avomo is a European company aligned with autonomous fleet management. In 2021, Uber acquired a 30% equity stake in Avomo.

While Avomo may not be widely recognized, it plays a crucial role in Uber’s autonomous vehicle strategy. The company oversees fleet services encompassing maintenance, inspections, cleaning, and charging for the Waymo-Uber partnership in Austin. Additionally, Avomo manages fleet operations for a robotaxi service partnership with WeRide in Madrid, announced in June 2026.

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

Avride

Avride, a spinoff from Yandex and now part of Nebius Group, formed a long-term alliance with Uber in October 2024 to integrate Avride’s sidewalk delivery robots and autonomous vehicles into Uber Eats and ride-hailing services.

By February 2025, Uber announced that autonomous sidewalk robots were already handling Uber Eats deliveries in Austin and Dallas in partnership with Avride, as mentioned in its fourth-quarter earnings report. In the fall of 2025, Avride secured $375 million in strategic investments from both Uber and Nebius, although specific financial details remain undisclosed.

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

As of last June, these vehicles still mandated a human safety operator to be present and were not fully autonomous.

Baidu

In July 2025, Uber announced a multi-year strategic alliance with Baidu to deploy thousands of Baidu’s Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform in international markets outside of the U.S. and China, initially targeting Asia and the Middle East later that year.

By the end of 2025, Baidu expressed intentions to test Apollo Go robotaxis in London during the first half of 2026 through its partnership with Uber. However, as of June, these tests have yet to begin.

Cartken

Commencing its collaboration with Uber in 2022, Cartken focused on food delivery in Miami with plans for further expansion into other cities in 2023. The partnership also extended to commercial deliveries in Fairfax, Virginia, within the same year. By February 2025, they began food deliveries utilizing Cartken’s robots in Osaka, Japan.

By summer 2025, Cartken shifted its focus toward industrial robotics, asserting that while it would maintain support for last-mile delivery, no additional expansion plans were on the table.

Coco

In 2024, Uber and Coco initiated a partnership to integrate Coco’s sidewalk robots into Uber Eats deliveries, beginning in Los Angeles and expanding to select neighborhoods in Miami by April 2025.

Cruise

In August 2024, a strategic partnership was established between Uber and GM’s Cruise aimed at embedding Cruise’s robotaxis into the Uber app by 2025. This collaboration was particularly significant for Cruise amidst numerous challenges, including workforce reductions and the departure of its co-founders following an incident in October 2023 involving a Cruise robotaxi.

Regrettably, Cruise’s ambitious goals failed to come to fruition. By December 2024, GM chose to dismantle Cruise’s robotaxi division due to financial hardships and rising competition, merging it within its engineering operations.

With Cruise’s operational status as a robotaxi service terminated, the partnership with Uber has effectively concluded, despite previously strong ties.

Flytrex

In September 2025, Uber unveiled a partnership with Flytrex, a drone delivery service, along with a modest investment, the specifics of which are kept confidential.

Hertz

While Hertz is not primarily dedicated to autonomous vehicle technology, its influence is considerable. In April 2023, Uber forged strategic fleet agreements with Hertz and its affiliate, Oro Mobility.

This collaboration aims to offer a premium robotaxi service featuring Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro’s autonomous technology. Hertz will manage essential fleet operations, including maintenance, repairs, charging, and staffing.

Lucid

Uber has made substantial investments in Lucid Motors, revealing plans in 2025 to set up a premium robotaxi service utilizing Lucid vehicles intended for autonomous features. Initially, Uber allocated $300 million and planned to order at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over six years, incorporating Nuro’s driving technology.

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

May Mobility

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

They also expressed intentions to expand across various U.S. markets by 2026, proposing to introduce “thousands of AVs” in the upcoming years, according to the startup.

By June, Arlington remained the only location where riders could hail May Mobility vehicles through the Uber app.

Mercedes

In January 2023, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a partnership with Nvidia to create a robotaxi ecosystem utilizing self-driving S-Class vehicles within Uber’s ride-hailing network. Details regarding city rollouts are still pending.

Momenta

In May 2025, the Chinese autonomous driving tech firm Momenta formalized a partnership with Uber to integrate its robotaxis into the app, anticipating a launch in Europe in early 2026 with human safety operators on board.

Further updates in September 2025 noted plans to test robotaxis in Munich, Germany, set for 2026.

Motional

Motional, a Hyundai division, has collaborated with Uber since 2021, initially aiming for autonomous deliveries in Santa Monica. However, this project was classified as a trial and did not reach commercialization.

In October 2022, the partnership was expanded into a 10-year operational agreement aimed at rollouts in major North American cities, focusing initially on Las Vegas and Los Angeles. However, a truly autonomous service (without human operators) has yet to materialize.

Following a reorganization in 2024 focused on AI technologies, Motional’s self-driving Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles began operating on the Uber app in Las Vegas in March 2026, still overseen by human safety drivers.

New Horizon

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

Nissan

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

Nuro

Nuro first partnered with Uber in 2022 to develop a custom delivery vehicle, unveiling a decade-long roadmap to initiate autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California, and Houston starting that fall.

However, Nuro shifted from delivery vehicles to licensing its self-driving technology to automotive manufacturers and robotaxi operators. Continuing their alliance, Uber disclosed a significant arrangement in 2025 for a premium robotaxi service employing Lucid Gravity SUVs powered by Nuro’s autonomous system.

San Francisco is designated as the first city for this service, followed by Houston, as of June. Uber’s financial stake in Nuro, which includes its Series E funding investment and future milestone-based funding, is estimated to be around $500 million.

Nvidia

Uber initially recognized its collaboration with Nvidia in January 2018 during a transformative period for both entities. Nvidia was tasked with providing AI computing capabilities for Uber’s in-house self-driving software, but this engagement concluded with the divestiture of Uber’s AV division in 2020.

At CES 2025, Uber highlighted its intention to leverage Nvidia’s generative world model simulation tool, Cosmos, and its cloud-based AI supercomputing platform, DGX Cloud, to enhance its AV technology development. Specific implementations of these tools were not detailed at that point.

In October 2025, Uber outlined plans to expedite its robotaxi initiative by utilizing Nvidia’s Hyperion autonomous platform. Stellantis committed to supplying at least 5,000 Nvidia Drive-powered vehicles for Uber’s operations, making it a notable first among automotive producers.

In March of this year, Uber and Nvidia deepened their partnership to launch a consolidated global fleet of Nvidia-driven autonomous vehicles, commencing introductions in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the first half of 2027, targeting 28 cities globally by 2028. These vehicles will function on Nvidia’s Drive Hyperion platform and include Alpamayo, an array of open-source AI models and tools tailored for intricate driving scenarios.

Pony.ai

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

In March 2026, Uber, Pony.ai, and Croatian firm Verne reported ambitions to set up a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, starting in Zagreb. Pony.ai will provide the autonomous driving technology, delivering a robotaxi called the Arcfox Alpha T5 developed with BAIC, while Verne will oversee fleet ownership and operations. Uber will facilitate ride-hailing through its established platform.

Rivian

An unexpected announcement in March 2026 revealed potential earnings of up to $1.25 billion for Rivian. This agreement involves Rivian producing numerous robotaxis based on its new R2 SUV, which features a self-driving system currently under development.

Uber has invested $300 million in Rivian, aiming for 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis to be launched in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. Both parties intend to roll out robotaxis in “25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2031.” This fleet will be made available exclusively through the Uber platform.

Serve Robotics

Evolved from Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2020, Serve Robotics specializes in sidewalk delivery robots. In the following year, the robotics division, Postmates X, became an independent company and rebranded as Serve Robotics.

Uber has also invested in Serve, which went public in 2024 after merging with a SPAC. Serve Robotics’ delivery robots have been employed for Uber Eats across multiple U.S. locations for several years.

Starship Technologies

In November 2025, Starship Technologies, known for its sidewalk delivery robots, announced a collaboration with Uber Eats, allowing Starship robots to manage food deliveries in several European countries starting in 2026, followed by plans for a U.S. rollout in 2027.

Stellantis

In June 2026, Stellantis declared a joint venture with the autonomous driving startup Wayve and Uber to collaboratively develop and deploy driverless robotaxis. Stellantis and Wayve, both supported by Uber investments, had previously partnered to embed the automaker’s self-driving technologies into its ride-hailing network.

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

Tawasul

Located in the UAE, Tawasul joined forces with Uber in 2024 to supply fleet management for the WeRide robotaxi initiative in Abu Dhabi.

Torc Robotics

Uber Freight, which came from Uber in 2018, partnered with Torc Robotics, a self-driving truck company acquired by Daimler in 2019, in late December. This collaboration primarily focuses on data analysis.

Torc has utilized Uber Freight to assess shipping volume trends and networks, among other data, to identify effective lanes and appropriate commercial applications for deploying autonomous trucking solutions.

Verne

The Uber-Verne alliance is relatively recent. Initiated by Mate Rimac of the Rimac Group, the partnership was disclosed in March 2026, targeting a commercial robotaxi service in Europe, beginning in Zagreb, Croatia. Together with Pony.ai, which offers the autonomous driving technology, Verne will manage the fleet produced by BAIC.

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

Volkswagen/MOIA

Volkswagen’s MOIA America partnered with Uber, announcing plans to roll out a commercial robotaxi service using autonomous Volkswagen ID. Buzz minivans by 2025. This service aims to launch in various U.S. cities over the next decade, with Los Angeles being the first indicated location.

In April 2026, both companies set up a joint facility in Los Angeles for overseeing daily fleet operations, suggesting that the robotaxi service intends to begin within the same year, primarily with human safety operators. Full autonomous operations are projected to initiate in 2027.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions

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

The VNL Autonomous truck from Volvo—integrated with redundancies for self-driving technology developed by Aurora Innovation—has begun transporting goods for Uber Freight clients between Dallas and Houston, with routes continuously expanding.

Waabi

Uber’s collaboration with Waabi is particularly noteworthy. CEO Raquel Urtasun, previously the chief scientist at Uber’s AV division, founded Waabi in 2021 with a focus on 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 around $250 million in milestone-backed funding from Uber for deploying robotaxis using Waabi’s self-driving technologies.

Waymo

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, first forged its connection with Uber in May 2023 to integrate some of its robotaxis into the Uber platform, starting in Phoenix. However, the partnership is somewhat limited, as Waymo’s customers can also request robotaxis through its own app.

The collaboration expanded to Austin and Atlanta in the subsequent year, but access to Waymo’s robotaxis via Uber’s app remained restricted to these three cities. Services commenced in Austin in March 2025 and in Atlanta by June 2025.

Regrettably, the partnership has witnessed a decline; both companies dissolved their collaboration in Phoenix last month, while Waymo is preparing to terminate its agreement with Uber, which will remain active until May 2028.

Wayve

Innovative UK startup Wayve has secured a partnership and investment from Uber. During a funding round in February 2026, Wayve raised $1.2 billion, with contributions from returning investors like Microsoft and Nvidia, in addition to Uber. Total funding could accumulate up to $1.5 billion, including an additional $300 million from Uber contingent on launching robotaxis starting in London.

In March 2026, efforts were laid out 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 collaboration involves embedding Wayve’s AI-driven self-driving software into a Nissan Leaf, aimed at functioning within Uber’s ride-hailing framework in Japan.

WeRide

WeRide, a Chinese robotaxi service, is one of Uber’s engaged partners. Their partnership was announced in September 2024, aiming to integrate WeRide robotaxis into the Uber platform, starting in Abu Dhabi. This service launched in December 2024, operating with human safety operators before transitioning to full autonomy in November 2025. By late 2025, WeRide’s robotaxis were also available via the Uber app in Dubai.

Uber plans to expand this collaboration, targeting to incorporate WeRide’s autonomous vehicles into at least 15 more cities by 2030, including various locations across Europe. In those regions, 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, focusing on potential cities such as Madrid and Zurich.

In February 2026, Uber and WeRide set goals to launch at least 1,200 robotaxis across the Middle East, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh, projected to begin operations by 2027.

Zoox

Zoox, an Amazon-owned entity, later allied with Uber’s initiatives. The two organizations announced a strategic partnership in March 2026 to implement Zoox robotaxis within the Uber app in Las Vegas this year, with future plans to expand to Los Angeles by 2027.