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Uber Accelerates US Robotaxi Race With Lucid’s HelpUber, which has relied on human drivers, is pushing boldly ahead into the robotaxi arena along with new business partner Lucid. This comes after Uber announced it’s teaming up with Volkswagen, using ID Buzz electric vans to transport larger groups of people in autonomous vehicles.
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In a press release, Uber says it’s going to launch 20,000 or possibly more Lucid Gravity EVs equipped with Nuro Driver autonomous tech as robotaxis in dozens of markets spread throughout the US. This is supposed to roll out over the next six years as competition in the self-driving taxi market is heating up big time.
The initial launch will take place late 2026 in an unnamed major city in the US. We’re going to guess it will be somewhere in the Sunshine Belt since that’s where virtually all robotaxi services are based at the moment.
It’s interesting how Uber has decided to take a different approach in the autonomous taxi service market. It’s going with more premium electric crossovers and vans, probably to stand out from the competition.
You might think it’s ironic Uber is getting into the robotaxi business since it’s founded on peer-to-peer ride hailing. We think this is more of a diversification strategy. After all, not everyone likes making small talk with a driver who smells a little funky and makes scary lane changes.
According to Uber’s press release, the partnership with Lucid and Nuro doesn’t just go as far as using their products for the robotaxis. The company will be investing hundreds of millions in each one, so this is a serious partnership.
“Autonomous vehicles have enormous potential to transform our cities for the better,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “We’re thrilled to partner with Nuro and Lucid on this new robotaxi program, purpose-built just for the Uber platform, to safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people across the world.”
Get ready to start seeing robotaxis in your city, if you don’t already have them.
Image via Uber
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