Uber makes multi-million-dollar investment in Lucid and Nuro to build a premium robotaxi service

Uber is making significant strides towards establishing a premium robotaxi service by committing hundreds of millions to both Lucid Motors and Nuro, a startup specializing in autonomous vehicle technology. In a deal revealed on Thursday, Uber will allocate $300 million towards Lucid, while also planning to purchase a minimum of 20,000 new Gravity SUVs over the next six years. These vehicles will incorporate Nuro’s self-driving technology, with ownership and operation managed by Uber or its fleet partners. The ride-hailing giant aims to initiate its robotaxi service in a prominent U.S. city within the next year. Production of the modified Lucid Gravity vehicles is anticipated to commence by late 2026, as outlined in a recent regulatory filing. Additionally, Uber is investing an undisclosed but substantial amount, reportedly in the multi-hundred-million-dollar range, into Nuro. A source familiar with the details indicated that this investment exceeds Uber's financial commitment to Lucid. According to Nuro co-founder and president Dave Ferguson, the collaboration took a year to finalize, emphasizing the depth of the partnership. Ferguson noted that Uber was keen on making a considerable investment in a robotaxi initiative and spent significant time evaluating various autonomous vehicle companies before selecting Nuro as a partner. Progress is already underway, with engineers from Lucid and Nuro testing a prototype driverless vehicle at Nuro’s facility in Las Vegas. In recent years, Uber has been actively securing partnerships across the autonomous vehicle sector, collaborating with over 18 companies worldwide in areas such as ride-hailing, delivery, and trucking. This year alone, Uber has forged agreements with firms like May Mobility from Michigan, Volkswagen, and several Chinese self-driving companies, including Momenta, WeRide, and Baidu. One of Uber’s most notable partnerships in the U.S. is with Waymo, which currently operates a joint service called “Waymo on Uber” in cities like Austin and Atlanta. This latest investment strategy underscores Uber’s commitment to capturing a significant share of the emerging autonomous vehicle market.