Uber is increasing its commitment to autonomous mobility, planning to invest up to $1.25 billion in electric vehicle maker Rivian as part of a long-term strategy to launch a global robotaxi network.
The ride-hailing giant will initially commit $300 million, with the total investment potentially rising to $1.25 billion by 2031, contingent on Rivian achieving key performance milestones tied to the reliability and safety of its autonomous driving technology.
As part of the partnership, Uber, together with fleet partners, will purchase at least 10,000 Rivian R2 autonomous vehicles that will be used exclusively through the Uber platform. The first robotaxi services are expected to launch in San Francisco and Miami in 2028 before expanding across the United States, Canada and Europe.
The deal represents one of Uber’s most significant moves yet in the rapidly evolving autonomous transportation sector, as the company seeks to position itself as the primary commercial gateway for robotaxi services rather than a developer of the underlying technology.
After selling its own self-driving vehicle division in 2020, Uber has moved to a partnership model, joining a growing number of autonomous vehicle developers. The company now has deals with more than 20 self-driving companies, including Waymo and Zoox, and is aiming to grow the market before it becomes widespread.
Under the Rivian agreement, Uber will also pay royalties for access to Rivian’s proprietary autonomous software while retaining the option to expand the fleet to up to 50,000 vehicles starting in 2030.
If all milestones are met, the companies expect to deploy thousands of fully autonomous vehicles in more than 25 cities worldwide by the end of the decade.
For Uber, the strategy is clear: control the customer interface and demand level while outsourcing the capital-intensive and technically complex elements of autonomy to specialized partners. The company is also experimenting with owning or co-owning fleets, giving it a more direct look at the economics of autonomous transportation as it explores financing partnerships with banks and private equity investors.
The move comes at a time when competition in the robotaxi space is heating up, with Tesla, Lucid and a host of tech-focused new entrants all vying for dominance in what many see as the next frontier of mobility.
Tesla has already begun limited robotaxi deployments in Austin and San Francisco, while Lucid is exploring expanded collaborations with Uber and other partners to expand its own autonomous ambitions.
For Rivian, the deal marks a major strategic pivot toward software and autonomy at a time when the electric vehicle market faces slowing demand, political uncertainty and margin pressure.
The company acknowledged that accelerating its autonomy roadmap would come at a financial cost and warned that it no longer expects to meet its previously stated profitability targets by 2027 due to increased research and development spending.
Still, investors initially reacted positively to the announcement, with Rivian shares rising sharply before paring gains later in the session.
Rivian has invested heavily in its in-house autonomous stack, including a proprietary chip, lidar systems, high-resolution cameras and radar sensors, all of which are expected to be integrated into its upcoming R2 platform starting in 2027.
The company also develops software for both commercial fleets and private vehicle ownership, with the aim of enabling fully autonomous everyday applications such as school trips and airport pickups.
Industry analysts view the Uber-Rivian partnership as emblematic of a broader shift in the industry, where success is likely to depend less on individual technological breakthroughs and more on the ability to integrate hardware, software and distribution at scale.
Uber’s global network of riders and drivers provides a ready-made marketplace for autonomous services, while Rivian offers manufacturing capabilities and a vertically integrated approach to vehicle and software development.
However, significant hurdles remain. Regulatory approvals, safety validations, infrastructure investments, and public trust will all play a critical role in how quickly robotaxis move from pilot programs to mainstream adoption.
The timeline itself reflects this reality. While Uber aims to operate robotaxis in 15 markets through various partnerships by the end of this year, significant scale is not expected until 2027 and beyond.
Meanwhile, the agreement underscores a growing consensus across the mobility sector: that autonomy is no longer a distant goal but an increasingly central battleground for the future of transportation, and that winning will require significant capital, long-term commitment and strategic collaboration.
