The autonomous driving track is heating up, Uber teams up with Lucid to challenge Tesla's Robotaxi

Tesla's autonomous driving taxi service Robotaxi welcomes a new competitor: the shared mobility "veteran" Uber has decided to invest hundreds of millions of dollars, teaming up with electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Group and autonomous driving technology startup Nuro to create a taxi "squad" that provides robotaxi services.

On Thursday, July 17, Eastern Time, Uber announced a strategic alliance with Lucid and Nuro, planning to launch high-end robotaxi services in the second half of 2026, and will purchase "at least" 20,000 Gravity SUVs produced by Lucid over the next six years to provide robotaxi services, all equipped with the autonomous driving system developed by Nuro.

According to the agreement, Uber will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in both Lucid and Nuro, including a $300 million investment in Lucid. Lucid revealed that part of the investment will be used to upgrade its assembly line to integrate Nuro's hardware into the Gravity electric vehicles. Media reports indicate that Uber's investment in Nuro exceeds that in Lucid.

After the news of the joint launch of robotaxi services with Uber, Lucid's stock price gapped up 31% on Thursday, with an intraday increase of up to 47.2%, closing up 36.2%, marking the largest daily increase since late January 2023. Meanwhile, Uber's stock price rose 0.7% at the beginning but soon turned down, closing down nearly 0.3%.

Commentators believe that Lucid's stock price surge reflects the market's optimistic expectations for the robotaxi market. Media noted that Lucid pointed out: "The first prototype of the Lucid robotaxi car in collaboration with Nuro has already been operating autonomously on Nuro's closed track in Las Vegas."

This collaboration marks Uber's further deepening of its investment strategy with autonomous driving technology partners, rather than developing related technologies independently. It will allow Uber to further expand its influence in the rapidly growing autonomous taxi market, where the company has already provided autonomous driving services in Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta, and Abu Dhabi through partnerships with companies like Waymo.

Tripartite Alliance Builds High-End Services

According to the cooperation agreement disclosed in documents submitted by Lucid to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Uber will purchase and operate Lucid Gravity SUVs equipped with Nuro Driver technology. The first batch of vehicles is planned to be deployed in a yet-to-be-disclosed major U.S. city in the second half of 2026, with at least 20,000 robotaxi vehicles gradually deployed over six years.

Lucid's interim CEO Marc Winterhoff stated that Uber chose the company's SUV model because Lucid can directly integrate the necessary hardware at the factory. Media pointed out that Nuro's software will be installed after Uber receives the vehicles Currently, the robotaxi prototype jointly developed by Lucid and Nuro has been put into operation at Nuro's closed testing facility in Las Vegas. Winterhoff revealed during the investor conference call in May that the company is in deep discussions with partners regarding the autonomous driving applications of the Gravity model.

Investment Strategy Shifts to Collaborative Model

This large-scale investment further highlights Uber's strategic shift. The company has moved from the self-developed autonomous driving technology during former CEO Travis Kalanick's era to a model of collaboration and investment with specialized autonomous driving companies.

Current Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi previously stated that Uber has funded future investments in the autonomous driving ecosystem by monetizing its equity investments in autonomous freight companies like Aurora Innovation.

This strategic adjustment allows Uber to rapidly expand its autonomous driving service network. In addition to its collaboration with Lucid and Nuro, the company has also established partnerships with more than a dozen autonomous driving technology developers and automakers, including Waymo and the Volkswagen Group. Earlier this week, Uber also announced a partnership with Baidu to deploy robotaxi services in multiple non-U.S. markets.

Layout Amid Intensifying Market Competition

Competition in the robotaxi market is intensifying. Last month, Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, with CEO Elon Musk promising to expand to other cities. Meanwhile, Waymo is rapidly expanding its service coverage in multiple U.S. cities.

For Lucid, this collaboration adds an important customer for its Gravity SUV model. Media reports indicate that as one of the few pure electric vehicle manufacturers in the U.S., Lucid is striving to increase production and delivery volumes, expecting to produce 20,000 vehicles by 2025, more than double the previous year's output.

Winterhoff stated, "This is an important milestone in our process of expanding from electric vehicle technology leadership and licensing business into collaborations in other areas. A lot can change in six years, and I really see this as the first starting point."

Lucid's stock price has fallen 95% from its pandemic-era peak in 2021, and the company, like the entire electric vehicle industry, faces challenges from price wars and weak demand