Uber and Rivian are teaming up for a big robotaxi push

Uber $UBER +1.66% Technologies and Rivian $RIVN +5.77% Automotive announced a partnership to deploy up to 50,000 fully autonomous robotaxis, with Uber committing up to $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, subject to the achievement of certain milestones by specific dates, the companies said.

Under the agreement, Uber or its fleet partners will purchase 10,000 autonomous versions of Rivian’s R2 electric vehicle in the first deployment phase, with the option to buy up to 40,000 more beginning in 2030. An initial $300 million investment is committed following the deal’s signing, pending regulatory approval.

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The R2 robotaxis will be available exclusively on the Uber platform. Initial commercial deployments are planned for San Francisco and Miami in 2028, with expansion to 25 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe by the end of 2031.

“We’re big believers in Rivian’s approach,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement, citing Rivian’s integrated control over vehicle design, compute platform, software, and U.S.-based manufacturing as grounds for confidence in the deal’s targets.

Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said in a statement the partnership would accelerate the company’s path to level 4 autonomy, pointing to its data flywheel and in-house RAP1 inference platform as drivers of near-term progress.

Rivian announced its third-generation autonomy platform in December 2025. The system includes 11 cameras, 5 radars, and 1 LiDAR, powered by two RAP1 chips capable of 1,600 TOPS of AI compute, and is expected to launch in the R2 later in 2026.

Rivian’s stock jumped about 10% ahead of the open after the announcement, while Uber’s traded near flat. For Rivian, the deal adds to a financing streak that included a $5.8 billion software arrangement with Volkswagen finalized in late 2024, , according to CNBC. For Uber, the deal extends a string of autonomous vehicle agreements that also includes partnerships with Amazon $AMZN +2.32%'s Zoox, Lucid $LCID +2.49%, Stellantis $STLA +4.11%, and Nvidia $NVDA +1.70%.

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