A new robotaxi is coming as Uber and Lucid are partnering to create a new service to take on Waymo and Tesla. Uber has revealed a $300 million strategic investment in Lucid Motors on, Thursday July 17, a bold pivot by Uber after abounding the robotaxi race before. This investment has made Uber the second biggest shareholder after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The agreement by Uber is for buying at least 20,000 Lucid Gravity SUVs over six years starting in late 2025 or early 2026. These vehicles will be powered by Nuro’s Level 4 autonomous driving technology, capable of operating without human input under specific conditions.
Uber and Lucid robotaxi partnership
The partnership will see Uber purchasing 20,000 Lucid EVs and use Nuro’s self-driving software to power its service. Uber seems to be betting big on robotaxis, with pure-play electric vehicle maker Lucid as its partner.
The partnership with Lucid along with autonomous tech firm Nuro, announced a “next-generation premium global robotaxi program” exclusively for the Uber platform.
Lucid, Nuro and Uber deal
The partnership for the new robotaxi program would outfit the Lucid Gravity SUV with Nuro Driver Level 4 autonomous software, deployed on Uber’s platform and fleet management systems. The goal being, to deploy 20,000 or more Lucid EVs equipped with Nuro Driver over the next six years.
The Lucid Motors electronic vehicles shall be owned and operated by Uber or its third-party fleet partners, staring by year-end or next year in a “major US city.” A Lucid robotaxi prototype using Nuro software is already being tested at Nuro’s Las Vegas proving grounds.
A game changing deal for robotaxi
As part of the deal, Uber said it will invest $300 million in Lucid, and a similar “multi-hundred-million-dollar” investment in Nuro.
“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,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.
“This investment from Uber further validates Lucid’s fully redundant zonal architecture and highly capable platform as ideal for autonomous vehicles,” Lucid interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said. “This is the start of our path to extend our innovation and technology leadership into this multi-trillion-dollar market.”
Lucid stock spike
The partnership with Uber stunned the Wall Street skyrocketing the Lucid Motors stock by more than 30% in a single day. Lucid Motors stock closed near $3.60 after hovering around $2.75 before the news.
Fierce competition in robotaxi space
The robotaxi space just got a lot more competitive—and more interesting. Lucid Motors is back in the race with Uber’s faith and funding. Tesla remains the boldest player, with potential unmatched if it can overcome technical and regulatory hurdles. Waymo is the most proven, but may need a cost revolution to stay ahead.
In the end, it may not be a winner-takes-all game. However, Uber’s pivot back into autonomy has reignited the race with Lucid right in the game.
