Lucid, Nuro, and Uber launch autonomous robotaxi partnership
Lucid Group Inc. (NASDAQ: LCID), Nuro Inc., and Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER) announced a partnership to develop an autonomous robotaxi service exclusively for the Uber platform.
The service will combine Lucid's Gravity vehicle with Nuro's Level 4 autonomy system and Uber's ride-hailing network. Uber plans to deploy 20,000 or more Lucid vehicles equipped with the Nuro Driver over six years across dozens of global markets, with the first launch scheduled for next year in a major US city.
The vehicles will be owned and operated by Uber or its third-party fleet partners and made available exclusively through the Uber platform. A prototype is currently operating autonomously at Nuro's Las Vegas testing facility.
As part of the partnership, Uber plans to make multi-hundred-million dollar investments in both Nuro and Lucid, according to the company's press release.
The robotaxi will use the Lucid Gravity's 450-mile EPA estimated range and redundant electrical systems. Nuro's autonomous driving hardware will be integrated during Lucid's assembly process, with software installed when vehicles are commissioned by Uber.
"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."
Nuro will lead safety development and validation across multiple categories using simulations, closed course testing, and supervised on-road testing. The company has operated driverless deployments across multiple US cities and states over five years.
Uber currently operates in 70 countries with an average of 34 million trips per day.