Rivian announced a collaboration with Uber to develop thousands of robotaxis using its forthcoming R2 SUV, potentially worth up to $1.25 billion for Rivian. Uber has made an initial $300 million investment and plans to acquire 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robotaxis, aiming for a rollout in San Francisco and Miami by 2028. Uber can purchase an additional 40,000 robotaxis starting in 2030, with plans to deploy these in 25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by 2031. The fleet will be exclusive to Uber’s platform. Rivian faces challenges as it has yet to produce the R2 SUV or develop a robotaxi self-driving system. Manufacturing will occur in Rivian’s under-construction Georgia facility. Despite obstacles, CEO RJ Scaringe prioritizes automation, having shifted to an AI-first strategy that trains driving systems to be increasingly autonomous. The Rivian Autonomy Platform debuted in 2024, with plans for enhanced capabilities and hardware upgrades, including lidar, by 2026. While these won’t achieve full autonomy, Rivian aims for a “personal L4” system with no human intervention, targeting hands-off, eyes-off autonomy by 2027. Uber has partnered with several electric vehicle and autonomous tech companies, including Lucid Motors with Nuro, Waymo, Motional, Baidu, and is a significant investor in Wayve.
Uber Partners with Rivian for $1.25B Robotaxi Deal
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