Lucid, Nuro and Uber Partner on Robotaxi Project
Lucid plans to provide robotaxis to Uber. Photo courtesy Lucid Group Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO— Lucid Group Inc., Nuro Inc. and Uber Technologies Inc. have formed a strategic partnership that will create a robotaxi ride-hailing system. Thousands of Lucid Gravity sport utility vehicles equipped with Nuro Driver autonomous technology will be deployed in multiple markets by Uber over the next six years. The first launch in a major U.S. city will occur later next year.
Autonomous technology will be seamlessly integrated into the EVs at Lucid’s assembly plant in Casa Grande, AZ. Nuro Driver is a Level 4 self-driving system that combines automotive-grade hardware and AI-powered software designed for reliability and cost-efficiency.
As part of the deal, Uber plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in both Lucid and Nuro. The first robotaxi prototype is currently operating autonomously on a closed circuit at Nuro’s Las Vegas proving grounds.
“Autonomous vehicles have enormous potential to transform our cities for the better,” says 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, to safely bring the magic of autonomous driving to more people across the world.”
“This investment from Uber further validates [our] 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,” adds Marc Winterhoff, CEO of Lucid. “This is the start of our path to extend our innovation and technology leadership into this multi-trillion-dollar market.”
“We believe this partnership will demonstrate what’s possible when proven AV technology meets real-world scale,” notes Jiajun Zhu, CEO of Nuro. “[We have] 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.
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