Lucid Group, Nuro, and Uber have announced a strategic partnership to develop a new premium autonomous ride-hailing service exclusively for Uber. The collaboration will deploy over 20,000 Lucid vehicles equipped with Nuro's Level 4 autonomous system, the Nuro Driver, across multiple global markts over the next six years. The program is expected to launch in a major U.S city by late 2026. This initiative leverages Lucid's software-defined EV architecture, specifically the upcoming Lucid Gravity SUV, combined with Nuro's scalable autonomous driving technology and Uber's expansive global network. The robotaxis will be owned and operated by Uber or its fleet partners, available only through the Uber platform.
"Autonomous vehicles have enormous potential to transform our cities for the better, " said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, "We're thrilled to partner will 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."
The first Lucid-Nuro prototype is already undergoing autonomous testing at Nuro's Las Vegas proving grounds. As the partnership deepens, Uber plans to invest several hundred million dollars in both Nuro and Lucid to support development and deployment.
Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO of Lucid, emphasized the strategic value of the collaboration: "This investment from Uber further validates Lucid's fully redundant zonal architecture and highly capable platform as ideal for autonomous vehicles, and our industry-leading range and spacious well-appointed interiors as ideal for ridesharing."
Jiajun Zhu, Co-Founder and CEO of Nuro, noted the importance of scalability: “We believe this partnership will demonstrate what’s possible when proven AV technology meets real-world scale. Nuro has spent nearly a decade building an AI-first autonomy system that’s safe, scalable, and vehicle-agnostic, proven through five years of driverless deployments across multiple U.S. cities and states. By combining our self-driving technology with Lucid’s advanced vehicle architecture and Uber’s global platform, we’re proud to enable a robotaxi service designed to reach millions of people around the world.”
The robotaxi will utilize the Lucid Gravity’s long 450-mile EPA-estimated range, reducing downtime and increasing operational efficiency. The autonomous system will be installed during the vehicle assembly process and activated with Nuro’s software before deployment.
Nuro will also oversee safety validation, deploying a robust testing protocol using simulations, closed courses, and real-world trials to ensure the robotaxis meet rigorous safety standards.
With operations in 70 countries and an average of 34 million trips daily, Uber’s global scale is expected to accelerate the adoption of robotaxis and make autonomous rides accessible to millions.
