Uber is partnering with EV maker Rivian to put into service tens of thousands of self-driving robotaxis starting in 2028, including in Canada
The deal coming out of the strategic alliance includes a $1.25 billion USD investment on Uber’s part, and a goal of deploying 10,000 units starting in 2028. The total number of R2 robotaxis could reach as high as 50,000 as the service expands to include 25 urban centres in North America and Europe by 2031.
If all goes to plan, the first R2 robotaxis will be put into service in Miami and San Francisco in 2028 in the U.S. Uber has already committed a $300 million initial outlay for the project, which still needs to obtain regulatory approval. For the rest, the funding will be tied to achieving certain performance levels related to the autonomous-drive system.
Ultimately, the partners are looking at putting up to 40,000 additional vehicles into service starting in 2030. That expansion will include Canada and Europe.
Rivian’s new R2 electric SUV is set to debut on the market in 2026. It will be underpinned by a new, third-generation autonomous-drive platform that features 11 cameras, five radars and a LiDAR system. According to Rivian, the new system is much improved in terms of perception and comprehension of the environment around the vehicle.
“We’re incredibly excited about this partnership with Uber. It will accelerate our path to Level 4 autonomy and help us build one of the safest and most convenient autonomous platforms in the world. The combination of our growing data ecosystem, our in-house RAP1 inference platform, and our multi-modal perception system gives us strong confidence in the rapid advancement of Rivian’s autonomy in the coming years.”
- RJ Scaringe, Rivian CEO
“We strongly believe in Rivian’s strategy of designing the vehicle, compute platform and software stack together, while maintaining full control over manufacturing scale and supply chains in the U.S. That vertical integration, combined with data from their growing consumer fleet and their experience managing complex commercial operations, gives us confidence to pursue ambitious yet achievable targets.”
- Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO
Uber didn’t say anything this week about what the new deal with Rivian might signify for the existing partnership between the ride-hailing giant and Lucid Motors. The latter firm is providing Uber with Gravity SUVs, and it has confirmed that Uber will have an option to partner with it on a new model based on the Lunar concept, to be built on a midsize platform.