Uber is betting on robotaxis: investing $1.25 billion for some 50,000 autonomous vehicles

The operation also includes the purchase of up to 50,000 robotaxis by 2030.

LOOK: The gaming laptop with a roll-up screen that grows from the sides, a new concept for video games

As part of this alliance, which aims to accelerate the autonomous vehicle projects of both companies, Uber will initially invest $300 million.

Subject to meeting undisclosed development guidelines, total investment could reach $1.25 billion by 2031.

According to a spokesperson, if it obtains the necessary regulatory approvals, Uber will receive about 19.55 million Rivian shares, about 1.6% of the company’s capital.

This share will increase with subsequent investments, the spokesperson added.

During the first phase, both partners plan to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 robotaxis.

The plan, scheduled to start in 2028 in San Francisco and Miami, contemplates an expansion to 25 cities in the United States, Europe and Canada by the end of 2031.

The agreement also includes an option to purchase up to 40,000 additional R2 robotaxis starting in 2030.

Uber is forging numerous alliances in the robotaxis sector.

Last week, it reached an agreement with Zoox (Amazon) to offer its autonomous vehicle service in Las Vegas starting this year and in Los Angeles in 2027.

LOOK: How happy are Peruvians? This is the position of our country in the global happiness report

Two days later, he did the same with Motional (Hyundai), also in Las Vegas.

A spokesperson told AFP at the time that the company had partnered with more than 25 autonomous vehicle companies and was already making millions of autonomous trips through its own booking platform.

By the end of this year it plans to offer autonomous vehicle rides in about 15 cities — half of them outside the United States — the spokesperson added.

Tests are already underway in the United States (Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Phoenix) and internationally (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh).

The platform has also invested directly in manufacturers, in particular in the startup Lucid, worth $300 million in 2025, and in related companies such as Nuro, a specialist in software for autonomous driving.

Uber, headquartered in the United States, provides transportation services through an application that operates in more than 15,000 cities in dozens of countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.